


Help Me

by DreamCatcher5784



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Rtte)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-04-12 05:47:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 32,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19125835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamCatcher5784/pseuds/DreamCatcher5784
Summary: After Hiccup is injured due to saving Snotlout from Dragon Hunters, a girl finds herself hurt and stranded on an island. She is mysterious and rides a rare, almost extinct dragon. When the Dragon Hunters kidnap Hiccup in hopes of torturing the location of the Dragon Eye Lenses out of him, this foreign stranger may be his only hope. Will her broken past come in the way of the necessary proceeders, or will Astrid fail to trust the new-comer and lose Hiccup in the process? The story has begun, but an ending is yet to be written, and almost anything could go wrong for our beloved Dragon Riders as they are forced to verse the Dragon Flyers and save their friend's life.Before it's too late.(I suck at summaries but give it a try at least. It's not horrendous (I think))





	1. Falling

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. This is my first Httyd fanfiction, so please don't be too harsh. It's not complete yet, but, if everything goes my way, chapters should come monthly. Please enjoy and I would love to read any advice you have to improve my story or any constructive criticism you are willing to give.  
> Thanks!

The wind rushed past, hitting his face and messing up his hair. As the icy breeze slammed against his body, it covered him with an uncomfortable chill, and his hands and foot had already gone numb from the cold. Although it doesn't sound like the experience is very pleasant, this feeling was what Hiccup lived for. 

The view was beautiful, and he felt completely free. The clouds made a pattern in the sky which shined different colours as the sun appeared in the east. Bellow him, the ocean sparkled while the sun's glowing rays bounced off it, creating a rainbow of shapes. 

His eyes were wide, taking in the wonderful world around him. A roar of joy escaped his dragon's mouth, and Hiccup couldn't help but smile. Hiccup looked down at Toothless, and Toothless looked up at Hiccup. The Nightfury's mouth opened, to reveal a toothless smile. His tongue stuck out from the side of his open mouth and flapped about in the wind. 

You didn't have to be a genius to realise that both species were enjoying the flight. Toothless glided across the sky, catching the wind in his wings and keeping high altitude. The pair embraced the amazing feeling of flight, their minds clear and faces bright. Hiccup couldn't stop himself from letting a happy cheer leave his mouth.

"Woo-hoo!" He exclaimed. 

Hiccup pushed down on the foot pedal. Toothless, feeling the change of angle in his prosthetic tail fin, pulled his wings close to his body. Hiccup leaned forward in his saddle as the dragon and rider began to dive straight down towards the magnificent ocean now in front of them. Most people would be scared if they were plummeting towards the ocean at such a speed from such a height, yet Hiccup was feeling anything but fear. He had his eyes wide open, and the biggest smile sat on his face. Nothing could ruin this moment. 

The ocean rapidly neared them, yet they didn't pull back. The two kept diving. Hiccup felt weightless as they left the clouds behind and hurried towards the water. Soon, there was only a small, centimetre gap separating Toothless' face from the water. The dragon suddenly spread out his wings to full length. His body snapped into a flat, horizontal position just above the ocean. Toothless began to speed onward, not bothering to regain altitude. He left the tiniest gap between him and the sea, and Hiccup didn't complain. 

As they hurried forward, the wind they were creating was causing small waves to follow behind them. They flew faster, and the waves grew bigger. Hiccup urged Toothless to keep going, not wanting this amazing feeling to go. The Nightfury tilted his body slightly, so that the tip of its wing could touch the water. That created more waves and made the experience even more fantastic. He left his body in that position for a while before quickly straightening himself back up. 

As they flew, Hiccup forgot he was riding a dragon and felt as though he was flying all by himself. That feeling of pure freedom was amazing. It was like he was walking on air and the world around him seemed even better than before. Hiccup couldn't think of anything that made him happier, besides the company of his friends and family, of course.

While they flew, Hiccup never took his eyes of the world surrounding him. The clouds, the sea, the sun, the sky. Everything was beautiful and beyond gorgeous. His prosthetic clicked in the foot pedal and the pair was soaring back up, into the clouds. Hiccup was loving this, but there was still something else he could do. 

He stood up and ran off his dragon. Now, he really was flying all on his own. The fabric wings he had made never failed him and now, the dragon and boy could fly side by side. Toothless turned to look at Hiccup and Hiccup turned to look at Toothless. They flew for hours around Dragon's Edge, up in the sky and down, close to the sea. 

Before either of them even knew it, they were landing in front of the Clubhouse. At first Hiccup was hesitant, hoping that maybe they still had time for another round, but eventually decided he might as well check if the others were awake yet. They had a big day planned of saving dragons from dragon hunters and finding more lenses for the Dragon Eye. He had no time for more fun. Not yet at least. 

                                           ~◇~

"Alright, gang. We all know the plan, right?" Asked Hiccup as the sun begun to set. 

"Come on, Hiccup! I though we came here to blow these people up, not revise the plan for the thousandth time!" Snotlout complained, obviously eager to begin the attack. 

"We all need to know what we are doing, or this could end horribly for us and our dragons." Hiccup argued. " And I'm not going to go over the plan unless someone here doesn't remember it!" 

Snotlout groaned. He knew Hiccup was right, and he always disliked losing an argument. Especially if it was to his cousin. Everyone was now silent, waiting for someone to say they didn't know the plan, and hoping that no one forgot it, because they were getting tired of hearing Hiccup explain it over and over again in extreme detail.

Snotlout turned his head to look at everyone as to see what they were doing. His gaze stopped on Tuffnut and Ruffnut, who were whispering quietly to each other and sharing worried looks. Snotlout leaned forward to try to hear what they were saying but he was too far away. Finally, giving up, Snotlout turned his attention away from the twins. Immediately, he noticed that everyone else was looking at the two siblings who were nervously chatting on their Zippleback. 

Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes. He already knew what the twins were talking about without even having to hear them say it. Hiccup took a deep breathe in to make sure he wouldn't start yelling at the twins for their ignorance. 

"Tuffnut, Ruffnut. Do you know the plan?" Hiccup asked calmly. 

"Well, duh! Of course we do!" Ruffnut said a bit too quickly.

Hiccup gave them a look. You could tell how annoyed he was by simply glancing in his direction. Clearly, he was also starting to find this 'explanation' repetitive.

"There's a plan?" Tuffnut asked, completely oblivious to the other riders annoyed reactions.

Hiccup mentally face-palmed, and groaned. "Yes, there is a plan. You, along with Ruffnut and Snotlout will sink the ships. While you three are blowing up the ships and distracting the hunters on board, Fishlegs and Astrid will handle the hunters on the shore so that I can free the trapped dragons!" Hiccup shouted over the rushing wind. "And, before blowing up the ships, make sure there aren't any dragons on board."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now let's blow stuff up!" Exclaimed Snotlout, immediately charging for the ships. The twins sped after him, exploding out of the clouds and blowing any cover they had. 

The twins sped ahead of Snotlout to the closest boat, excited to blow it into splinters. Barf spread his toxic, green gas all over the enemy's ship. The insane siblings took a moment to admire how beautiful the ship looked drowning in the smoke. The terrified shouts of the hunters on board was like music to the crazy vikings' ears.

"Fire!" shouted Tuffnut as Belch lit up the explosive gas.

Immediately, the ship exploded, throwing wood planks and parts of the boat into the air. The remains of the boat floated above the ocean waves, reassuring the pair that they had successfully destroyed the ship. Hunters swam to the surface of the water and struggled to swim to shore. 

"Yeah!" The Twins exclaimed in unison as they felt the heat of the fires they caused hit their faces. They bashed heads in celebration before rushing towards the next ship.

Snotlout flew right past the insane siblings to the next few ships. Hookfang used the highly flammable, Monstrous Nightmare gel, which covered his body, to light himself on fire. With this ability, Hookfang was able to defend himself and attack the hunters all in the same time. The dragon flew close to the boat, firing a few fire blasts here and there at some of the dragon hunters that got in their way. Hookfang decided to use his flame covered body to his advantage as much as he could. The dragon flew as low to the ship as possible without crashing.

As is his scales touched the wooden deck, so did the fire. It spread onto the vessel, setting it aflame. Snotlout enjoyed watching the hunters jump off the side of the boat in hope to avoid the fires. Hookfang growled at the men aboard the ships as he passed them, while Snotlout cheered himself on. 'Snotlout, Snotlout, oi, oi, oi!' - could be heard from anywhere on and near the island.  

As the three crazy and destructive riders handled the boats, Hiccup led Astrid and Fishlegs towards the shore where they immediately began completing their assigned roles.

Meatlug spat lava blasts at the dragon hunters which were scattered across the beach. They screamed in horror as the rider and dragon forced them to leave their stations and flee for their lives. The Gronckle used her powerful tail to bash the men hard on the head, knocking them out. Fishlegs didn't usually enjoy causing physical harm to other people, but these people were torturing innocent dragons. And dragons meant so much to this viking, he wouldn't stand by and let them suffer.

Astrid screamed a viking cry as she ordered Stormfly to shoot at the dragon hunters. She always did love the rush of  battle. Stormfly's tail spines jumped off her tail towards the dragon hunters. Some hunters ended up pinned to the side of a cage or tree, while others just ran away without looking back. The Nadder spat burning fires at attacking hunters to keep them from getting too close, and Astrid didn't hesitate to join in the action. She wasn't afraid to swing her axe at the hunters and wasn't ashamed to admit she was enjoying it quite a bit.

Toothless sped down close to the ground, avoiding the action surrounding him. Hiccup jumped off his Nightfury and landed perfectly on the ground. As Hiccup's feet hit the ground, he took out his dragon sword, preparing to fight if approached. He ran to the closest dragon cage and jammed his sword in the lock. He twisted and shook the sword, until, finally, the lock came undone. The dragon proof, dragon cage door was thrown open, freeing the Razorwhip trapped within. Once free, it immediately took to the skies in an opposite direction from the army of ships just off shore.

Toothless kept his master safe as Hiccup ran from cage to cage, freeing all sorts of dragons. Changewings, Scauldrens, Deadly Nadders, Gronckles, Monstrous Nightmares, Terrible Terrors, Zipplebacks and so many more. Toothless fearlessly blasted at the attacking men and slammed them on the side of cages with his powerful tail, leaving Hiccup uninterrupted with his work.

All the cages were soon empty and everything was going according to plan. The ships were either nothing but splinters or on fire, and all the dragon hunters which were on land were either unconscious or retreating rapidly. Hiccup climbed onto the back of his beloved dragon and set to the skies. Astrid and Fishlegs soon joined him, both aware they had won. As they surveyed the damage they had caused, and dragons they had rescued, something caught Hiccup's eye.

Though the hunters had clearly already lost, they were rather persistent. Or some were. The few still conscious were still shooting arrows, boulders and nets from their burning, sinking ships. But since they were trying to survive the fires and shoot the riders down in the same time, they weren't doing very well. Not to mention most of the catapults were destroyed and their arrows were snapped in half. They weren't much of a threat, so Hiccup wasn't surprised Snotlout let his guard down. 

A dragon hunter aimed his catapult at Snotlout. The rider didn't even see it because he was too busy congratulating himself on his heroism. You could tell by how he was shaking his fists in the air and talking to himself aloud, his back to the hunter. By the time Snotlout would notice the catapult had been faced towards him, it would be too late. No one else seemed to notice the predicament Snotlout was now in, as they were busy laughing with the twins who had just flown over. 

"Snotlout, watch out!" Shouted Hiccup, hoping to get Snotlout's attention. 

It worked. He turned, just as the boulder was released and started soaring through the air towards him. Snotlout saw it, but there was no time to avoid the giant rock. Without thinking, Hiccup raced forward on Toothless. The Nightfury understood immediately what was happening and flew as fast as his wings would allow. Good thing Nightfuries are fast or they never would have made it. 

Just as it was about to hit Snotlout, Toothless sped into the Monstrous Nightmare the boy rode, pushing them both out of the way. The world slowed down. Hiccup turned his head to see the boulder mere centimetres away. It was terrifying. Hiccup hadn't even thought about how he would out of the way in time as well.

His eyes widened in clear fear. The impact of the rock alone could kill him, not to mention the dangers of falling from such a height, even if it was into water. Water would feel harder than stone if he were to hit it from this high. It was an inevitable death. Hiccup tried to brace himself for the collision. But nothing could prepare him for this. 

Pain erupted though his body. He wanted to scream in agony, but he couldn't seem to find his voice. He fell. Shoved painfully off his dragon with more force than he expected. Hiccup even heard the horrid sound of his bones cracking as the boulder hit him. The boy plummeted towards the ocean, completely depending on his dragon and friends for his rescue.

It reminded him of flying with Toothless, except without the fun. The sky was dark and stars shimmered. He could only see a faint outline of the moon, and the ocean that reflected the sky was barely visible from the corner of his eye. It used to be so beautiful, but now it seemed so monstrous. Although the water was calm, Hiccup didn't want to be anywhere near it. 

The fear he felt before the boulder collided with his body faded away. Strangely, he wasn't scared anymore. He wasn't afraid, terrified or anything of the sort. Those feelings were distant and nowhere near him. Instead he felt cold and hurt. Breathing was a difficult task as with each breathe in a sharp pain would erupt all over his body. 

Hiccup could see Toothless. The dragon seemed so far away as if he were a dream. The boy could feel a tear sneak out of his eye as the pain and wind became unbearable. The Nightfury seemed as though he weren't there. Nothing was. All that existed was the pain that Hiccup felt, and the ocean he neared, threatening to devour him. 

 Hiccup reached this arms forward in desperate hope to touch his dragon. To cuddle with the wondrous creature and sleep in the warmth of his wings. 

As he fell he could see the other riders, staring in shock as he neared the ocean bellow. Consciousness escaped him and the world turned dark. He couldn't see, hear or feel anything, besides an endless pounding in his head.

Toothless dashed after Hiccup, refusing to let his best friend and master die. While the Nightfury and boy raced towards the icy ocean, he didn't notice that Hiccup's shout, and warning for Snotlout, had also grabbed all the other rider's attention. Everyone had turned around in time to watch the boulder slam into Hiccup, and force him off his dragon. Even Snotlout, who was shaking all over from the sudden push and the fear that he felt. 

"NO!" Shouted Astrid, panic shining in her eyes as her betrothed fell lifelessly towards the somewhat calm seas. 

Astrid dove down on Stormfly, determined to reach Hiccup. Stormfly growled, in attempt to alert Toothless that they were coming to help, or wake Hiccup up. Either one of those things happening would have been great. Sadly, that was to no success. Realising that she had failed, the Nadder decided to instead concentrate all of her energy on reaching them. It was hard, as they were quite a distance away when Hiccup was thrown off Toothless, and the Nightfury and boy had a few seconds head start.

"O...oo...oh..." Fishlegs whimpered.

The chubby boy just couldn't let himself watch. He turned away, closing his eyes and covering his face, all the time whilst looking down at his dragon's tail. Meatlug turned her head too, being just as scared to watch as her rider was. It was no surprise they both reacted the same way as their personalities were so similar, and their bond unbreakable. 

The twins didn't hesitate to attack the hunter who fired the boulder. The man was too busy celebrating his great hit that he didn't even realise the two siblings were now on top of him. Ruffnut and Tuffnut immediately blew up the hunter and watched, satisfied, as the hunter flew into the water and struggled to keep afloat. 

Snotlout watched in horror as the one-legged Viking fell, closer and closer to the icy waters where he would surely drown. He stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed as Astrid raced down in hope to catch him. Snotlout felt useless. He knew there would be no way for him to catch up with them now, it was too late. All he could do was watch. Watch as his cousin came closer and closer to dying. Watch as Astrid desperately tried to reach Hiccup. And watch as Hiccup's unconscious body remained just out of help's reach. 

Toothless desperately tried to reach Hiccup. If he could catch the boy, then he could hug him in his wings and prevent him from getting too hurt, just like he did when they fought the Red Death. The Nightfury was almost there. Almost. 

Yes!

Toothless trapped the unconscious Hiccup in a tight, protective hug. The dragon prepared himself to hit the water. He looked down at Hiccup, the boy wrapped tightly in his wings, to make sure he was safe, and fell, back first towards the sea. Suddenly, Toothless felt something grab onto him. It picked him up just before he reached the sea bellow. Toothless lifted his head to see Stormfly looking down at him.

The Nadder snarled, alerting her rider that she caught them. Astrid let out a breathe she didn't know she was holding and hurried towards the island. She needed to make sure he was still breathing and tend to any visible injuries that she could. 

Snotlout raced after them, determined to assist in anyway possible. Obviously, Astrid made it to the shore before he did, but Snotlout wasn't too far behind. He encouraged Hookfang to go faster, he just had to see if Hiccup was alive. That boulder had been large and rough, its surface covered in smaller, sharp rocks.  

"Come on Hookfang! Faster!" He commanded. 

Fishlegs finally dared to look. At first, the boy was absolutely relieved when he saw Astrid land on the shore and gently drop a dark dragon onto the sand, but then he remembered the seriousness of the situation. 

Hiccup could be badly hurt, and Fishlegs had the most medical experience. He looked down at Meatlug and saw that she was looking up at him with worried eyes. Fishlegs took a deep breathe and flew forwards as quickly as he could on his Gronckle. 

The twins were right behind Fishlegs, hoping to find out why everyone was going back on the island. It was no surprise that they completely missed what was going on. They do hit each other in the face with hard objects for fun on a daily basis, so you can't really expect much from them. Although Fishlegs had the slowest dragon out of all of the riders, Tuffnut and Ruffnut were the last ones to make it to the shore.  

Astrid payed no attention to the other riders, she was more concentrated on Hiccup. The flight back to the island seemed to take so long and the entire time Astrid's head was down, looking at Toothless. Once she reached the sandy beach, Stormfly gently let go of the Nightfury, placing him on the ground. Astrid jumped off her Nadder, not bothering to wait until Stormfly landed. 

Astrid landed her jump perfectly and immediately sped towards the Nightfury. Once she was about a metre away from the black dragon, Astrid bent down onto her knees while running and skidded across the ground in that kneeling position, stopping just before she collided with the Nightfury. Astrid looked at the dragon and watched as he unwrapped his wings to reveal Hiccup.

The boy's head was bleeding from a wound hidden by his hair. Scratches and bruises decorated any skin not hidden by clothes, but probably still continued under the sleeves and on his torso beneath the tunic. His right arm was broken into an unnatural position and you could see tears splashed onto his face. 

Astrid tried to ignore the injuries and put her head up to his chest. She waiting, and for a few seconds all was quiet besides the sound of the riders landing nearby and Toothless standing up. The viking girl ignored them, still listening for a heart beat. It had been almost a minute now and still no sound. Tears threatened to escape her eyes as the possibility that her betrothed was really dead crossed her mind. 

Then, she heard it. A faint sound left his chest. It came again and again in a repeated pattern. Astrid stopped herself from jumping up and celebrating the boy's survival. She couldn't wait to tell her friends the good news and, for a while, didn't know exactly what to say. Then, she noticed the other rider's silence. 

"He's alive!" She exclaimed suddenly. 

Cheers erupted from the group. Most of them released the breathes they were holding and the dragons roared and blasted into the sky. Toothless didn't. He instead nuzzled his rider and licked Hiccup's face. Astrid gave him a supportive smile, showing the dark Nightfury that she understood how he felt. The girl then turned her attention to her bleeding boyfriend laying on her lap, his breathes slow and hardly noticeable. 

Astrid brushed Hiccup's hair back softly with the back of her hand in a comforting way. She used her arms to dry the tear that had slid down her cheek. She payed no attention to the riders and their dragons, who had calmed down now and were hoping to get a glimpse of Hiccup to see if he really was ok. 

Toothless crooned and stared at Hiccup. Astrid could see the worry and guilt the dragon felt dancing in his eyes like fireworks. Astrid could feel them dancing in her expression as well. She sighed. No point in sitting here blaming herself. She won't achieve anything like that, and Hiccup would not benefit from it at all. 

Astrid stood up, holding Hiccup in her arms as though he were her baby. His head hung limply over the side of her arm and so did his legs. She felt the blood pouring out of his wounds stain her shirt and hands. She quickly calculated their location and Berk's distance.

They were 6 hours away from The Edge in the direction of Berk, so that flight there would be about a day or so. There wasn't any point in going back to The Edge. They were currently low on medical supplies and none of them were that experienced in the medical field besides Fishlegs and Astrid, yet even they didn't know that much. 

Gothi was the best healer Astrid had ever met, she would be able to take good care of Hiccup, better than they could at The Edge. She had to make a decision. Berk, where better medical help for Hiccup was guaranteed but was further away, or The Edge, it was closer but they wouldn't be able to properly attend to Hiccup's wounds there.

"Everyone, saddle up! We're going to Berk!"

                                         ~◇~

They had been flying for at least 15 hours now. Astrid held Hiccup next to her on Stormfly, and Toothless was there too, under the Nadder who was tightly holding the Nightfury in her claws. Toothless didn't want to be far away from his injured master, and he couldn't fly without Hiccup, so this was the best solution. 

Stormfly flew a little slower than normal with the added weight, but didn't struggle too much to keep up with the rest of the group. Snotlout had repeatedly asked to carry Toothless, and make it easier for Astrid and her dragon, but Astrid had refused the request. She knew Snotlout only wanted to help, but Toothless wasn't comfortable with being far from Hiccup, and neither was Astrid. 

She needed the unconscious boy to remain in her arms so she could protect him. And so that she would know immediately when he woke up. She needed to be there, by his side. Astrid had been so busy staring down at Hiccup for the past 15 hours, that she only just noticed now how windy it had gotten. 

Her hair was being thrown around and the dragons were starting to find it hard to keep balanced. Then, came the rain. At first, it was only a light sprinkle, so she wasn't too worried, but then, the dragons started losing altitude. 

The sprinkle of rain became a thunderstorm of lightning and water pouring rapidly out of the sky, in large amounts. Soon, water became ice the size of large pebbles. As they hit their skin, the ice left bruises. The dragons could barely move because the powerful winds were forcing them this way and that. 

Their scales, though, were thick and strong. They acted like a shield which covered their entire bodies, so they hadn't worried about the hail. Thunder rumbled all around them, and blindingly, bright lighting shot down from the sky, sometimes only a few metres away from them. Toothless was growling loudly and kept his head up to see Hiccup.

He needed to be certain Hiccup was ok. He needed to be sure that Hiccup was still breathing. That he was still alive. Toothless wanted to hug Hiccup. Protect him from the storm, keep him warm and cradle him. Toothless growled again when he saw the water bellow. 

Massive waves replaced the once calm seas. Each wave was huge, about 10 times the height of a normal, viking hut. The water seemed to roar as it was thrown up and splashed back down. The ocean seemed alive. It seemed monstrous and dangerous. 

Astrid was hugging Hiccup now. She was using her arms and body to block the ice before it could hit him. She didn't want him to receive more injuries before they reached Berk. Ever since the rain had first started, Hiccup had been shivering, his face and body tightening. 

The boy's breathing was fast now and ragged. Tears stained his face and his lips were turning blue. Astrid herself could barely keep her own eyes open. She looked around at her teammates. It was clear to them and their dragons that they were struggling to keep on course and keep high altitude. Everywhere, it was dark.

Massive clouds covered the sky, hiding the sun and making it seem as though it were night although it was the middle of the day. Those clouds trapped the warmth, and took it away, leaving the teenagers in the cold. Astrid was starting to panic. Her mind racing with thoughts and ideas.

Memories came flooding back to her. When Hiccup took her for her first flight, years ago. She was so scared, but then he took her above the clouds. It seemed so different up there than under. Under the clouds it was a dark, starless night. Above, there were billions of stars, and colourful light shows. It was wondrous. Beautiful.

'That's it!' She thought. 

"Everyone, fly up and into the clouds!" Astrid shouted over the thunder and splash of the waves. 

The group immediately obeyed. They started to fly up with any strength they had left. The dragons were flapping their wings ferociously, fighting the wind and hail. Snotlout and the twins were at the front of the group. Their dragons were growling and snarling as they flew higher. 

Meatlug and Stormfly were particularly struggling. Meatlug, being a Gronckle, was the slowest dragon and her wings were tiny, so she had to flap much harder than the rest, tiring her out quickly. Stormfly had Toothless in her claws and an extra human on her back. The extra weight was starting to slow her down a lot more than anticipated. 

Stormfly kept going. Slowly, she made her way up, but she was still at the very back of the group, Meatlug now in front of her. Stormfly growled, as if yelling at her wings to flap harder. They were now about half way between the sea and the clouds. 

'We're gonna' make it!' Astrid thought excitedly as she saw how much altitude they had regained. 

The twins had disappeared into the clouds and just as Snotlout was about to do the same, disaster struck. Well not disaster, lightning. It shot from the sky, right in front of Stormfly. The poor dragon was caught off guard. Yellow and white lightning shot from the sky, centimetres away from Stormfly's face. The Nadder flung her head back as the bright light blinded her. In doing so, she hit Astrid and shoved her off Stormfly's back, Hiccup still in Astrid's arms.

Stormfly was growling and roaring loudly. She was obviously scared and confused. She was hovering in one spot spinning around in a circling, biting at the air. As she did so, the Nadder remained oblivious to the fact she had dropped the vikings once on her back. Stormfly's agitated roaring had caught Snotlout's attention. He stopped Hookfang and turned around.

His stomach dropped when he saw what was going. Hiccup and Astrid both falling through the sky, nearing the ocean, and Stormfly so startled she was flapping about in the same spot. Snotlout looked around. Where was Fishlegs? He could help. Snotlout spotted the chubby viking frozen in shock, staring, open-mouthed at the sight before him. Fishlegs was never good under pressure anyway, and Snotlout couldn't waste another second. He had to catch them. 

Toothless was struggling in Stormfly's claws. Hiccup was going to die if he didn't get to him. He had to free himself from this scared Nadder's feet. As he did, Toothless tried to talk to her. Not in words, but roars, begging her to calm down, but he couldn't get through to her. All he could do was watch as his rider fell to his death, for the second time.  

Hookfang soon found himself diving down, just as Stormfly had when Hiccup had been hit with that boulder. They quickly passed Stormfly and were nearing Astrid and Hiccup with every second. Almost there. Almost. Snotlout had his arms stretched out in front of him, as if reaching forward to grab the two, although the chance of that actually happening was low.

Then, Astrid and Hiccup vanished. They were there, right in front of him, then they were gone. Just like that. Hookfang stopped flying and hovered over the ocean. A wave had swallowed the two vikings up and now they were somewhere under the water. Snotlout took a deep breathe as he stood up. He ran up his dragon's neck and leapt off the Monstrous Nightmare's head, into the water.

Icy, cold water surrounded him. It pushed him this way and that. It stung his eyes and made his body go numb in less than a minute. It was freezing there, not to mention dark. He could barely see his hand in front of his face, how was he supposed to find two humans? Suddenly, a ball of fire shot past him. It lit the water around him for a few seconds before the fire went out. That gave him enough time to see a hand that didn't belong to him about 5 metres ahead. That hand was smaller, and too far away to be his own. 

Not wanting to lose it, he immediately started swimming forwards. It was hard as he wasn't a strong swimmer and had to fight against the tide. It felt like every few centimetres he managed to swim ahead, he was pushed back a meter. Air was leaving his lungs and he was left with the undeniable need to breath. But he was underwater and the surface seemed so far away. Plus, he hadn't completed his mission. He hadn't saved Astrid and Hiccup yet. He hadn't rescued them from death. Instead, death was going to reach him first.

Yet, he found himself still swimming. He pushed onward. His eyes were bulging from the lack of oxygen and his throat burned as he swallowed more and more salty water. Then, he felt something. It was solid, an object. No. Not an object. A human. A body. Not one, but two! He found them! Snotlout held Astrid's hand in his right, and Hiccup's in his left. Then, he kicked. He kicked with any strength he had left and tried to swim upwards. But now, with the added weight, this task seemed absolutely impossible. 

His vision was blurring and his lungs begged for him to breath in. And he did, immediately regretting it. Salty water filled his lungs and he started to choke. But with every cough, more water entered his body, and none of it left. His body shook and trembled. His eyes disappeared into the back of his head. This was how he was going to die. He was going to die with his friends, unable to save them. He was going to fail, and the consequences would cost him, Astrid's and Hiccup's life.   

Everything was lost. 

Hookfang wrapped his claws around Snotlout's shoulders and yanked the boy out of the water, dragging the other two with him. They were surprisingly heavily, so he threw them into the air. All three teenagers were flung into the air about 15 meters up. Hookfang flew up after them and sped under them as they started to fall back down. All three vikings landed on his back. Perfect catch! Hookfang looped around and hovered on the spot for a while, catching his breath.

High above the Monstrous Nightmare, Toothless had finally gotten Stormfly to relax and was roaring loudly, happy now to see Hiccup again, even though the viking was still quite far away. They were alive, and within a few seconds, the Monstrous Nightmare was flying back up to the clouds, Stormfly just ahead of him.


	2. Unikalny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trapped in a burning, sinking ship, this new, female character must fight to survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2!  
> These first 5 chapters were written before even starting an account here so please, enjoy them all! (While I attempt not to procrastinate and write the 6th chapter.)

Now, before we can continue that story, I want to introduce you to someone new. You don't know her yet, but, as you read the story, you will find she is mentioned quite a lot. Her name is Unikalny, but she prefers to be called Ka. It's not an English word, but if you were to translate it to English, you would find it translates to unique.

Which is just what she is if we were talking about the dragon she rides. Yep. She's a dragon rider. The last of her people, and is one of the only people alive to ride this specific dragon. An that's not because it's hard to train, its because it's nearly extinct.

This specific dragon's body is covered in black, shiny scales. This dragon uses big wings and a long tail that ends in a fin to fly. Ka's dragon is the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself.

 

Ka rides a Nightfury.

She calls it Night. Yeah, I know it's not a very original name but it's one Ka finds suitable for her loving companion. 

Everyone knows how rare and powerful Nightfuries are, so it's no wonder the hunters decided to track her down. Attacked, then defeated her. Which is actually what leads us to the now. 

                                       ~◇~

The dragon hunter held the girl's hands tightly behind her back as he dragged her past the various empty cages. The floor wobbled slightly from side to side, confirming the fact they were no longer on land, but on a boat. That was a bad sign. 

Ka couldn't be taken away from this island. This island was a landmark. She knew that directly south from this island, was Breakneck Bog. West from Breakneck Bog was Odin's Respite. That was where her dragon was, and she needed to get to it as soon as she could. 

But if she left this island, she could end up going the wrong way. Like accidentally visiting Melody Island, which was north of this island - Trenchwood Forest. How did she know all these locations? She found a map. It washed up on Darkdeep, a rather large island south of a Dragon's Edge. At least that was where the map said she was when she found it.

It was signed 'Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third' just under a drawing of an island labelled 'Berk'. Ka had personally never been there, or to Dragon's Edge and many other locations listed on the map, but she planned to. She wanted to explore this whole world. She wanted to travel with her Nightfury named Night until one day when she would die a peaceful death after a mostly happy life. 

But no. That couldn't happen if she didn't find a way to escape. A way to escape this Dragon Hunter ship, find her map and belongings she hid on this island, and sail to Odin's Respite, where her dragon was waiting for her. 

Ka's eyes darted from the left to the right, to the ceiling, and to the floor as the hunter dragged her through the ship. She scanned her surroundings hoping to find anything that could help her escape. Anything. If there were dragons around she could try and train them. But that was unlikely as training a dragon was difficult even when they weren't locked in cages away from each other. 

Suddenly she was thrown forward. Ka landed on her hands and knees. The wooden floor left her with splinters in her fingers and slight scratches on her legs. Before the brunette even got the chance to realize what was happening, the dragon-proof, cage door was slammed shut behind her, the key turning in the lock. 

Ka forced herself to her feet and turned around in time to watch the hunter walk away, laughing evilly as he disappeared out of sight, the keys to the cage leaving with him. Ka hurried to the cage door and leaned against it, hands holding tightly to the bars. 

"Let me out!" Ka yelled after the man. "Come back, or I swear to the Gods you'll regret it!" 

The dragon hunter's cackling became louder as he heard her empty threats. He never even hesitated, stopped or turned around as he climbed the stairs to the top deck. 

Ka was left by herself on the lower deck, not a single dragon in a cage or a guard around to accompany her. She was completely alone. The only thing telling her there was anyone left on board the actual ship was the footsteps and talking coming from somewhere above the ceiling over her head. 

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing though. Without any guards around, she could escape easily. They wouldn't be around to stop her from finding a way out and scratching at the walls with the knife in her boot. But they also weren't around to be tricked, grabbed through the bars, or have their keys stolen.

With a lack of dragons in the cages, she couldn't attempt to train one either or encourage them to burn through the wooden walls surrounding her. Even if a Nadder threw one of its tail spines at her she could use that to pick at the lock as it was too big for her knife, or maybe break through the walls with it and swim to shore. 

Ka was stuck. But that didn't stop her from plotting. She felt the back wall for weak spots so that she could start scratching at them with her knife. Maybe make a hole big enough to squeeze through with the said knife and if not, kick it until it is. Her plan wasn't a good one, but it was all she could think of. 

Suddenly, as Ka was searching the wall for a weak spot, the floor shook violently. Ka was shoved against the hard wall she was searching and winced as she landed on her arm wrong. It was an uncomfortable position to say the least and Ka was pretty sure she heard something crack as she hit the wall.

Ka used the hand on her other arm to push herself into the middle of the room, so that she wasn't putting most of her body weight on the limb which, was really starting to hurt. Relief washed over her as her body left the wood and was released of the pain that wall brought. 

Ka then waited. She stood there in the middle of the room, knees bent and arms out, ready to catch herself if the room shook again. There was shouting from above. The shouts of hunters panicking and loud footsteps as they ran from side to side. Ka listened, unable to do much more than that. 

After about a minute, the teenager relaxed a little. There were still noises coming from above her head, but the boat had not started shaking again. Then, there was a roar. A loud, terrifying roar that made Ka jump back in fear. 

A Monstrous Nightmare. She started to sweat violently. Her legs seemed to turn to jelly and she became slightly light headed.

Now, reader, I need to understand that Ka liked most dragons. She wasn't scared of any of them besides the Monstrous Nightmare. That dragon sent chills up her spine whenever she saw or heard it. That horrifying roar brought back memories she would have rather forgotten. 

•'Women and children screamed as they ran for their lives. Burning fires exploded out of the skies from all directions. They surrounded her. Trapped her. Seeming to lock her in a cage that was filled with all sorts of horrors. Feelings of fear and pain floated around her. Screams echoed all over the island. Her screams and theirs. There was blood. There were deaths. So many deaths. But, the dragons didn't care. The horrid Monstrous Nightmares didn't care as they flew above, all-powerful, ruining her life. They left bodies. Bodies which lay lifeless at her feet.  

"MUM!"'•

Then the boat shook again, this time with more power and ferociousness than before. It snapped Ka out of her thoughts. Out of those memories and nightmares which haunted her. She was on the floor now, lying down on her stomach. Blood poured out of her nose and her head spun. 

Ka looked around but wasn't able to clearly make out what she was seeing as her vision was blurry. The room was exactly the same, though. Three wooden walls. One wooden ceiling and one wooden floor. One dragon-proof, cage door, shut and tightly locked. 

Ka bent her arms so her elbows were up in the air and the palms of her hands on the ground. Slowly, she pushed herself into a sitting position. It was tricky as the boat kept shaking every few seconds. Ka could barely see as she wobbled to the cage door. Even crawling there like she did felt impossible. 

Ka could barely see now. Black outlining her already fuzzy vision. She grabbed onto the bars and used them to pull herself up. Her whole body ached and even such a simple action took a lot of strength. 

Now standing and putting her whole body weight on the bars, she tried to look down the hall. The one end that led to the upper deck was now on fire. Slowly, the flames climbed the walls and grew. Fear stabbed through her mind. Panic soared through her veins. 

Smoke surrounded her. Now, not only could she not see, barely move, and hardly think straight, she could also no longer breath. Everything shook around her as she stumbled to the other end of the room in hope to escape the fires. If only she could cut through the wood. If only she had a weapon. Even a knife would be helpful. A knife... Her knife!

Ka reached down with trembling fingers and pulled a sharp, small, dagger-like knife out of her right boot. She straightened back up and didn't waste a second before stabbing her knife through the wood with as much power as she could master. It sliced through the wood and stayed there. 

Ka pulled and pulled but the weapon wouldn't budge. Smoke continued to fill the room. Ka now couldn't breathe at all without choking on the smoke. She was becoming nauseous and fading in and out of consciousness. 

Not to mention she was panicking horribly. She didn't know what to do. Without the knife, she couldn't cut through the walls and swim to shore. Instead, she would die on this ship. She would die from a Monstrous Nightmare just like her mother and father both did. 

Tears of fear and sadness were pouring out of her eyes. She was going to die. And there was nothing she could do about it. Ka punched the walls in frustration and defeat. She failed. Failed. Wow, she hated that word. 

The fire was nearing closer by the second, and her 'plan' had failed. Why couldn't she do anything right? Why? Ka leaned against the back wall and slowly slid down it until her bottom touched the ground. She brought her knees up to her chest, hid her head in her hands and cried. 

Tears pooled up in her hands and some slipped through her fingers, falling onto her pants. There she sat, sobbing in defeat as the fire drew ever closer and the room grew hotter. But Ka didn't care anymore. 

She was choking on the smoke and struggling to breathe. It was agony. Her body longed for clean air but it never got it. Only smoke that filled up her lungs and burned her throat as she breathed it in. Ka's head was leaned against the wall, arms hanging limply by her sides.

How could she get out? The only way would be to somehow smash through that wall and swim to shore, but she couldn't do that. She had no axe, no mace, just a pathetic, little knife that was now stuck in the wood. 

So she stayed still and watched as the flames devoured everything in their path. It swallowed the hard, wood floor and replaced it with ash and dust. Soon, it would be her turn to be eaten by the flames. If only she had something destructive like fire to use to make it through the wall. To burn away the wood and escape with her life. 

The flames reached closer and just as they touched the metal bars of her cage, Ka realized something. If she couldn't smash through the wall, maybe she could burn through it. She could use the fire that threatened to consume her to save herself. 

Ka jumped to her feet with new hope in her heart. Maybe she could actually escape. Maybe, just maybe, she could survive. All Ka needed to do was find something flammable. Easy. Ka looked at her shoes as if to apologise for what was about to happen before pulling her left shoe off.

She hurried to the bars of the cage where the fire was trying to squeeze through. Just as Ka was about to light her shoe aflame, the boat shook violently. The left side of the room started to lean down dangerously, creating a diagonal slope, similar to a slide. Ka lost her footing and found her self tumbling down towards the wall. 

She hit it, back first. As she did her head was also thrown back. She ended up smashing her head against the hard wall, most likely giving herself a concussion. Her eyesight blurred once more, her head pounded and throbbed as blood started to slither through her hair and down her back. She shivered as she felt the liquid travel down her spine, surely staining her shirt and leaving a bloody trail behind it. 

Ka tried to get up, but her body refused. Every time she lifted her head even slightly higher, more pain would soar through her. Specifically around her face. Her eyes were shut tight in pain while the rest of her face was scrunched up. Everything to her nose and her lips seemed to hurt, but mostly it was her forehead. She felt it throb so violently it felt like someone was punching her from the inside of her skull, trying to get out of her. 

She sat. Ka tried to regain some energy, just so she could at least stand back up. Her breathing was rough and fast, as she struggled to breathe in enough air to survive. Ka had hoped she would be able to remain seated for longer as to reduce the pain, but something was on her hand.

It was hot. Burning. Crawling up her fingers and biting at her skin. Her mind was so foggy it took her a few seconds to realize what was going on. By then the fire had clawed its way up to her wrist. A blood-curdling scream echoed around the room as her body caught up to the present and she realized what was going on.

Ka pulled her hand back quickly from the fire and rubbed it against her shirt. The fire vanished from her fingers and she relaxed a little. I say a little because her body tensed up again as soon as she felt something hot touch her shoe-less, left foot. 

Ka jumped up, panicked at the idea that the fire was so close to her. Bad move. Jumping up as fast as she did made her head start to spin. Her vision blurred once again and she could no longer see her hand in front of her eyes. Her whole body felt as though the bones had disappeared from within and remaining upright was a challenge. 

She could barely keep herself balanced and the fact that she was freaking out wasn't helping. Ka tried to breathe through her nose to calm herself down, but couldn't, thanks to the smoke. Her lungs were on fire and her mind was so foggy she had no idea what to do. 

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her shoe. It was still in her hand but orange and red flames were bouncing on top of it. Without even realizing what she was doing, Ka threw the shoe at the back wall and watched, mesmerized, as the flames spread onto it. They climbed up to the ceiling and slid down to the floor. 

She watched as the solid, brown wall became darker in colour as the fire spread over it. She watched, mesmerized, as a single, small hole appeared between the fiery flames. It was extremely difficult to see, as it was so small and so well hidden by the fire. 

But, Ka still saw. And when she did, she couldn't take her eyes away from it. At first, she saw a single, glowing star, shining on a dark blue background, before it was replaced by water. It wasn't only water that she could see, there was also the beautiful blue of the sky, but the star wasn't there anymore. It was gone, and that upset Ka.

She yearned to see it again. To stare at the stars and never stop. To reach out. To try and grab them as she flew on her dragon. As she flew on Night. On her Nightfury through the clouds, chasing the stars. They made her feel at home. The stars made her feel safe. So safe.

And, before she even thought it through, Ka found herself running towards the wall. She hurried through the fire as it clawed and grabbed at her legs. It was agonizing. Painful even. But she didn't know pain until she hit the wall. 

Since the fire had been eating away at it for a bit now, the wood was weak. Ka smashed through it as her body collided with the fire-covered surface. Was it easy? Yes. But it wasn't painless. Fire bit at her face and her body.

Luckily, it didn't last long, but it still hurt. And not only did fire burn her skin, but chunks of the broken wood stabbed into her. Some drew blood, others just scratched her as she exploded out of the ship. 

Time slowed down as the ground beneath her feet vanished. She was flying in the air, mere centimeters above the water. Around her, burnt wood hovered at her sides. And behind her, the remains of the ship was almost fully under water. It was just barely keeping afloat and water was finally making its way inside. 

Then, Ka fell. Time caught up and she was underwater. The first thing she noticed was how much the cold, salty sea made her body sting as it touched her burns. Her body temperature was so high. So high that when she felt the water, it dropped so low. Her body seemed to fight to keep warm as the surrounding water battled to make her cold. 

But Ka was so distracted by how uncomfortable this sudden cold feeling was, that she did realize she was sinking. Falling deeper underwater. Further from the stars, further from the sky.

Further from the burning ship now barely floating just above her. To her surprise, there weren't any solid things here. Underwater. No wood, metal or broken bits of the ship. Just her and that made Ka feel safe. Peaceful.

As she sunk, Ka saw the fading stars, somewhere above the waves. They became darker and their lights faded the deeper she sunk. But Ka wasn't scared, afraid or panicked. If anything, she was the opposite.

She was calm. Relaxed. All she could see around her was blue. It was like a blanket covering her but without the warmth. Instead, the 'warmth' was ice cold. Freezing. It reminded Ka of that one time she and Night crashed into the ocean.

Night. Her Nightfury. Her dragon. Her best friend. Her only family left. And then Ka realized the seriousness of this situation. She realized what was happening. She remembered her need for air and she made the mistake of breathing in. Of swallowing the water. 

And now, Ka was not only sinking even faster than before, but she was choking on so much water she was forgetting what it felt like to breathe air. Memories of her and her dragon flying through the sky flashed before her eyes. Memories of the games they played together and how much trouble she got into when her parents found out she'd been sneaking out to play those, said games. 

But then there was her mum's voice. So soft and so soothing.

•'No matter what happens, never give up. You are special, Ka, my sweet. Unique. You can do extraordinary things as long as you never give up on yourself. Keep going, Ka, keep going. Never stop fighting, even when all seems lost.'•

Then her body went on auto-pilot. Her legs kicked in a panicked fashion and her arms clawed at the water, trying to push it out of her way. Slowly, but surely, she swam towards the surface. Glowing dots appeared somewhere above the water's surface and grew brighter the closer she got to air. 

So while her lungs burned and her vision faded, her legs and arms kept moving. And that cold world that she found relaxing and peaceful disappeared. Instead, it was replaced with a slightly warmer world filled with panic and pain. But after a while, even that second world vanished. Completely gone. 

But Ka didn't mind. Heck, she didn't even know what she was leaving behind and if she did, she wouldn't have cared. Because this world was the best. It was reality and Ka had missed so much.

She panted, feeling completely exhausted. Ka vomited liters of salty water whilst holding tightly onto a piece of broken, floating wood. Her legs slowly moved back and forth as Ka was afraid that if she stopped, she would drown. Sink to the bottom of the sea where her body would rot amongst scaly fish and massive Scauldrons. 

Every breath in hurt her dry throat, but she didn't care. Her long, wet hair stuck to her face and neck, making her itchy in those places. But did she mind? No. She was just glad that she could breathe again. Glad that she didn't die. Just glad that she was alive.

Every sound around her felt distant as if they didn't exist. The world felt so far away, but she could see the stars. They were so beautiful. Some were plain white while others shined blue and purple in gorgeous patterns. Either way, she loved them and couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on her face. 

Woosh!

A dragon sped overhead, catching a darker dragon just before it hit the sea. They blocked the sky, hiding the stars and her smile left. They only were there for less than a second, but Ka was still upset. But that sadness turned to confusion as she heard a roar that only one type of dragon could make. 

It snapped her back. Brought her to where she was. To the now. She remembered she was still in the water, freezing cold and burnt all over in the same time. But that roar was special. Unique. 

'It can't be. There's only one left.'

Her mind whirled with all the possibilities. Maybe she heard wrong? Maybe she imagined it? But it felt so real. But it couldn't be another Nightfury. Her's was the only one left, and it was all the way back on Odin's Respite. Ka, intrigued by what she heard, turned her head towards the shore. There she saw several dragons and people gathered around someone. It seemed to be a boy, around her age. Maybe. 

He was on the ground. And there it was. A Nightfury, nuzzling the limp form she assumed was a human. The other Nightfury was bigger than Night, and its body shape was a bit different. And, not to mention, the saddle on its back that was attached to a strange contraption that went down to its tail. One of its fins was black and scaly, and the other was red and seemed to be made of fabric. Strange.

The other dragons suddenly started shooting into the sky in what seemed to be celebration. What were they celebrating? Several seconds later, they stopped. The humans were talking? Discussing something? Seconds later they climbed onto their dragons and the one on the Deadly Nadder shouted;

''Everyone saddle up! We're going to Berk!''

Berk? She recognised that word form somewhere. Her map! It was an island! The Nadder spread its wings and hovered over the sand for a few seconds before trapping the Nightfury gently in its talons and flying up, into the sky. The boy that was on the ground was in the other human's hands on the back of the Nadder too. 

And, just like that, all the dragons and people were gone. They flew off into the night, towards Berk, apparently. Ka had to visit that island, find out what the deal was with this other Nightfury and, hopefully, make an ally. Friends. Her only friend for years now has been her dragon so a human friend would be great. Fantastic even. 

But Ka had to survive the journey to her dragon then the one to Berk. And to do that, she had to get out of this wretched water. But how? She wasn't a great swimmer and she had used most of her energy trying not to be burned alive and not drown. So, to describe how she felt right now in a single word; exhausted. If given the opportunity Ka would sleep for years. But, she couldn't. So, might as well forget about it and swim to shore.

And by swim, I mean doggy paddle while using this wood as a floaty to keep her above water. And even that was hard to do as every single bone and muscle in her body would ache with each movement. It was agonising but not as bad as feeling like you were burning alive or choking on salty, sea water. 

So when her knees hit solid ground, Ka was more than relieved. She would have been excited if it weren't for her lack of energy. Ka pushed the wood away and began to crawl. She had hoped to make it off the beach and find shelter in the nearby woods as the icy wind stung when it hit her wet skin. 

But as she struggled to make it out of the horrid water, her exhaustion caught up with her and she finally fell into unconsciousness. There she lay on the shore, half in the water and half on the sand. Her body shivered in the cold but she slept peacefully as the sun rose. A new day was beginning and the journey to Odin's Respite was going to be a long, and dangerous one. 

The warm sun hit her skin and the cold, yet beautiful night was replaced with a calm morning.


	3. Bad Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup is in a coma-like state. He is forced through what he could only explain as the most gruesome, painful nightmare imaginable. Hiccup struggles to define real from imaginary and manages through a dream so horrid it will haunt him for decades.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just, read this, please comment (I am certain to reply), and then read the next chapter! Easy peasy! Now stop reading the notes and enjoy my story, maybe... (if it's trash please tell me)

Hiccup's POV ------------

"Snotlout, watch out!" 

I could remember the cold air stinging my eyes as I flew, desperately trying to reach my cousin in time. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but I knew that if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. 

My dragon and I hurried forward, flying as one. I didn't even think about how much pain I would be in if the boulder were to hit me, and it seemed like Toothless hadn't either. Either that or he just didn't care. We rushed forward with such speed that my surroundings blended into a colourless landscape. I had no idea if we were anywhere near them. Suddenly, we slammed into Hookfang, forcing him forward. 

I didn't even get the chance to feel relieved they were out of the way before the terrifying realisation dawned on me. I turned my head slightly and there it was. The boulder.

Time slowed to almost a stop. It seemed to take too long happen but also happened too soon. I watched in absolute horror as it neared, now less than a centimetre away from smashing into me. From destroying me and probably squashing my bones to nothing but dust. 

How did it feel? Painful.

Sure, I got hurt often. Being a dragon rider means attacking and being attacked by hunters almost on a daily basis. You don't just do all of that and escape with only a scratch. No. You get bruises, scars and even broken bones. If I got a coin for every, single time I got hurt whilst riding a dragon, I would be one of the richest people in the archipelago.  

But this was different. It was the most pain I had ever felt at once. In one word, it was excruciating. 

I cringed as the sound of my snapping bones was almost as unbearable as the agony they brought. Everything besides this immobilising feeling covering my body and the pounding in my head was a blur. Nothing seemed real. Nothing belonged. 

It was like I was there, up in the sky, but at the same time, I wasn't. The wind rushed past, creating the illusion that I was flying, when, really, I was falling through the sky with no guarantee of survival. At least Snotlout was safe. At least it wasn't him that was hit by something so massive and heavy it would've cracked his skull in two. Heck, I was surprised I was still conscious, not to mention alive.

But being surprised by it, didn't mean I was grateful for having remained awake. It was perfect torture. I wished for sleep. For the world to go dark so that the pain could finally subside. So that I didn't feel so scared and cold. So alone and so very hurt. I wished it all to just go away.

At first, it didn't. And all I saw was the faint outline of my distant dragon, rushing towards me and the terrifying ocean shimmering from the corner of my eye. I heard shouts, but they seemed so far away I didn't give them a care in the world. 

I felt like curling up into a ball and dying. That is a horrible way to feel and the thought itself made me want to cry. And I did. A tear slid out of my eye and stained my cheek. It felt good to cry, to finally let it all out. And, although I wished for death, I thought of my dragon, of Toothless. Of the warmth that radiated off his body and the comfort his gorgeous, black scales brought. 

Then, the world finally disappeared. 

The bright, beautiful stars vanished, along with Toothless and my friends. I found myself utterly alone, in a dark, cold place I didn't recognise. The pounding in my head did decrease, and my body no longer caused me agonizing pain. I guess that was an improvement and I was completely thankful for this numbness that covered me. 

But I wished for sleep, so that I could finally rest. Let the worries and pain melt away. I didn't want to be alone in a place that left me wishing for the other riders, that had grown to be family, and the dragons that had become my home. Wherever they were, so was I. I hadn't been this truly alone in years, not since before we befriended these flying reptiles. But even back then I had the bullies that tortured me where ever I went. 

"Hello?" 

My voice echoed all around this endless, empty place. I waited quietly for a reply, another's voice. It never came, and the silence that crowded this desolate land was almost deafening. Desperate to find life, I started to walk in a random direction.

'Me' time was essential. Necessary. But right now I wanted something to tell me I wasn't alone. Because here, the air was freezing and I could barely see my hand in front of my eyes. Every step I took made a sound if it were quiet or loud. Then, those noises were the only things keeping me sane. They buried the silence in an annoying 'tap' that occurred every few seconds. 

Annoying, I could deal with. Isolation, I could not.

"Hello!?" I repeated in a louder voice. 

'Crunch' I stopped. The sound was one similar to to the sound of dry leaves being crushed by something. Slowly, I bent down, arms outstretched, reaching for the ground. Was it me that made that noise? I needed to be sure. My fingers touched something that felt somewhat similar to paper. Like lots of ripped up paper. I picked up a handful and squashed it in my palm. The crunching sound returned. It filled the air, replacing the previously quiet atmosphere. 

My face lit up. If there were leaves here, then there were probably some type of plants nearby. Probably trees or some type of big bush. Maybe this meant I was close to civilisation. Plants were definitely life, so maybe they lead to more. With new hope shining in my heart, I raced forward as fast as I could. 

It was likely I would run into a tree or something, but I didn't. And I never even gave it a thought. Eventually, I heard noises. But these weren't the crunching of leaves or my rapid breathes. There was shouting, yelling, the sounds of explosions and loud, dragon roars. 

I recognised that roar, I just couldn't remember from where. Screams of pain became louder as I hurried closer. Light glowed from wherever those shouts were coming from. The glow the light radiated was mainly orange, and seemed to move, becoming brighter and darker over and over again. 

Now, I could see where I was. It looked like a forest as trees dotted the land and the luscious, green grass hid under piles of dry, dead leaves. Bushes which grew berries and flowers stood near the tall trees, leaning on them as if depending on the trunks for support. It was rather beautiful, but it was also terrifying.

The more I ran, the more this place reminded me of Berk. And that meant that something terrible must be happening on this island. And, by the looks of it, it seemed to be happening in the village. The next thought that popped into my mind was dad. He was the chief, and if something terrible was happening on Berk, he would be in the action.

I pushed myself to run faster, to move quicker. If there was a fight, a battle of any sort, I had to be there to help. The fact that this was all happening in my head hardly crossed my mind. I didn't consider that this was only a dream, and whatever horrible things were happening weren't real. The need to help my father was so over whelming, I didn't care. 

The village finally came into view and I hardly recognised it. The huts were all aflame, and the few that weren't were so destroyed you couldn't even call them huts. Vikings were running about, wielding weapons and battling what seemed to be...hunters? A Singetail suddenly sped over my head, its light green scales brushing against the tips of my hair. 

That's where I recognised that roar from! Singetails! Which meant Krogan was here too, most likely with Viggo and Johann. And that meant Berk was in huge trouble. I ran, determined to find my father despite the fact I was already out of breathe. And where were the riders? We always returned to Berk when they were in danger. 

I tried to avoid looking at the motionless, dead bodies which decorated the once peaceful environment. Most were covered in blood and their bodies so destroyed and burnt that they were unrecognisable. I couldn't tell if they were hunters, or Berkians. I just tried to ignore them, hoping that none them were Gobber, or Stoick, or any of the other riders, including the A Team. 

My worry grew the more I ran. I had managed to avoid the hunters and flyers so far, but I had also almost reached the centre of the village and there was still no sign of Stoick. Suddenly, my foot slammed into something solid, tripping me. I fell onto the ground, somehow managing to avoid landing on my face. 

I groaned as I rolled over, clutching my right arm. Now laying on my back I was able to get a better view of what was happening in the sky. Besides the Singetails, there were also other dragons racing through the clouds. My frown crept into a smile as I saw who were on the back of the other dragons. The riders! They did come! I couldn't help but feel a little bit proud as I watched them battle in the sky.

Astrid, Snotlout and Fishlegs along with their dragons, Stormfly, Hookfang and Meatlug, were stopping the flyers from blasting at the Berkians, as they were already struggling with the hunters on the ground. While they did that, the Twins along with their Zippleback and the A Team kept the fires from spreading and were shooting the flyers off their Singetails, careful to avoid the dragons.

They were doing great, and at least now I knew where they were. But where was my dad? And if the riders were up there, then where was Toothless? I thought he would be with them, but since the riders were up in the sky, fighting hard, Toothless had to be somewhere else. 

Something did seem a bit off though. Like how the riders hadn't appeared until just now. I hadn't even heard their dragons or their voices yelling complaints and commands until recently. Stupidly, I didn't give it that much thought, I was too focused on finding Stoick, and, now, Toothless. 

I sat up, preparing myself to leave when I saw what I tripped over. I gasped in shock and fear at the astonishing sight laying before me. On the ground lay a body, it's limbs ripped off with muscle and bone showing. 

Blood was smeared across its clothes and skin. Some had dried up, but open wounds released more and more of the red liquid every second. It lay in a pool of its own blood, which spread rather far. It was a disgusting, horrifying sight. 

Cuts and large, bleeding scars sliced through the clothing and across its face. It's jaw seemed to be dislocated and a huge burn ran across its head and neck, reaching its chest. This man was definitely dead, there was no doubt about it. 

You would have to be inhuman to survive something like that. And, I knew for a fact, that this person wasn't. Although it's body was destroyed, torn to pieces and burnt, I could tell who it was.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I struggled to stop myself from screaming. Screaming out for help or screaming in pain as my heart failed to handle the depression. I chocked back sobs as I tried to find my voice, but all that came out were raspy breathes. 

I had an over whelming desire to kill whoever was at fault, but, right now, I cried. He didn't deserve to die. He didn't. At least I found my dad, I just hoped to locate him before he got hurt. I guess I failed to that because...because...because he was dead. His mangled body was like something out of my worst nightmares. I struggled to breathe, my vision blurred. 

"No..." I whimpered. "NO!!"

My voice bounced off the walls of the huts, and my words were heard by most. Somewhere above me, Astrid stared down in absolute shock. My shout had gotten her attention, and upon seeing me leaning over my father's dead and dismantled body, his blood covering my clothes and hands, she paled. It wasn't every day you saw your lover weeping over his own father. And Stoick didn't look very appealing right now.

"What would it take to make you snap?" 

The voice was calm and certain. It was man, whom, until recently, most thought dead. The burn that permanently scarred his face was the only visible reminder of the horrible accident which had almost killed him. This man was a dangerous dragon hunter, determined to do nearly anything to keep his business going. I have never liked him, and it seems like I never will. 

"To break you and drive you insane to the point you end your own life?" 

Viggo. I was terrified, with chills running up my spine and paralysing me. My body froze, and my breathing quickened. He approached, appearing out of the shadows with a satisfied grin on his face. 

It seemed to become colder the closer he got. Soon, he was right behind me, so close that he could have killed me in a second if he so pleased. I usually tried to avoid interactions with him, but, this time, I was unable to. I was not going to leave my dad, laying dead in the middle of a battle field. It would be disrespectful. 

"To make your life not worth living?"

Those words cut through me like knives. They sliced through me and into my heart and mind. I knew exactly what I couldn't live without, and my dad was one of those things. If Viggo knew what the rest were, then I was already dead. 

He was pretty much throwing death threats at me. And, if they were meant to scare me, he was succeeding. I had assumed he would be here, I just didn't think he would find me in this crowded place. The chances of us meeting was unlikely. I guess the gods weren't liking me very much right now.  

Besides the fear I felt, there was also the anger that boiled inside me, begging to be let free. That part of me that wanted nothing more than to murder that man for what he had done.

Sure he had never confessed to the crime, but, from the he way he spoke, I could tell he had something to do with it. I could hardly contain the range which fought to escape. Gathering all of the strength and patience I had left, I replied. 

"What do you want, Viggo?" 

I spat those words out as if the mere mention of his name disgusted me. In a way, it kind of did, but, my bad attitude mainly came from the depression and sadness that had practically taken control of my body. Although I had asked him what his intentions were, I had a feeling that I already knew.

"Nothing much. Just for a few people to die. I'm pretty sure you know them." Viggo answered smugly. 

"You stay away from the riders!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet and turning to face him. 

The horrifying expression on his face told me all that I needed to know. He looked like he had already won. Victory danced in his eyes. My confidence was swept away, and I was left with only fear. 

"No..." I whispered in realisation. 

I was too late. 

"Aaaahh!" 

My body snapped around to face the source of the scream. I was met with the petrifying sight of Astrid, falling through the sky with a giant burn covering her stomach. Her beautiful, blonde hair danced messily in the rushing wind and her arms were outstretched, reaching forward, trying desperately to grab something, anything that could slow her crash. 

Stormfly was trapped in a net, being held captive my no other than Krogan. I didn't pay any attention to him as my mind tried hard to think of a way to save Astrid. No ideas came to mind, and all I could do was watch as she fell, nearing a fiery hut. 

I was frozen to the spot, more tears already shining in my eyes. Her screams of terror filled my mind as the other riders tried in vain to pass the Singetails and catch her. Sadly, the flyers wouldn't let them get far, and created a kind of wall to block their path. 

Astrid screamed my name, begging me to catch her like I always do. Although that was impossible as I was currently lacking a dragon to fly and was too far away to even attempt such a thing, I tried. 

"Astrid!" I yelled as I started to run in the direction of the burning hut she was hurtling towards. 

I abandoned my father, mentally apologising for just leaving him there. Viggo vanished from beside his body and I could barely breathe. Partially from the over-whelming amount of emotions I was feeling and partially from sprinting so fast. 

I was only around 50 metres away from the structure when Astrid reached the flames. They swallowed her up, drowning her screams of pain and killing her all at once. Tears clouded my vision and I sped up. Maybe she survived? These stupid thoughts of hope were the only things keeping me going, but they were no where near as strong as they should be. 

"ASTRID!" 

I reached the building and was about to run inside when it exploded. Flames burned at my cheeks and threw me backwards. I landed on my back, pain rushing up my spine. Ignoring the scars that were forming, I hurried to my feet. The hut was hardly a hut anymore. It was just fire and ash, with the wooden walls having collapsed a top themselves and burning to nothing but dust. 

"No, no, no, no! Astrid..." My screams became whispers as I said the now dead maiden's name. 

The fire would destroy her completely. Burn her body into nothing but dust. I cried, and, I'm pretty sure, somewhere high above me, the other riders were mourning too. Astrid had been the bestest friend, partner and girlfriend I could have ever wished for. 

But now she was dead, just like my dad. Had anyone else ever lost this much so fast? Probably not. And, what about dad? I wanted to go hug his rotting corpse and cry my pain away in his burnt chest. But, I couldn't leave Astrid, especially if that was the last time I'd ever see her again. 

"What's that word which you say when you hit your target, right in the intended spot? Bullseye.'' 

Krogan spat the last word harshly as he landed his SingeTail a few meters away from me. The certainty in his voice was almost as frightening as what he had just done. And where was Stormfly, Astrid's dragon? She was in his SingeTail's claws just seconds ago. What did Krogan do to her? 

"And don't worry about her dragon. I took care of it." He continued, as if reading my mind. 

Rage exploded inside me. It filled my mind, seemingly taking over my thoughts. How dare he kill Astrid, then her dragon? What is wrong with him!? I was ready to run up to him and end him liked he ended Astrid when...

"Aaaaaahh!" Another scream. Another person. 

My eyes widened. Fishlegs? I turned around faster than I thought possible. Yep, it was Fishlegs that made that sound. And when I turned, yet another terrible sight stood before me. There was Fishlegs and Meatlug, both dead.

Why did everyone keep dying? And in the worst ways possible. Fishlegs had blood pouring out of his mouth and new scars decorating his face and torso. But, the most noticeable thing was the broken tree sticking out of his stomach, leaving him hanging halfway down the trunk. 

The top of the tree, where the leaves usually were, had been completely ripped off. Instead, the top was now jagged and sharp, with blood spread all over. Fishlegs' blood. Which continued to leak from the huge, open wound, making me feel like throwing up.

Then there was Meatlug, her entire tail completely cut of and laying on the ground beside her. The bone had been completely snapped in half, and her body floated in pool of red goo. How did...how? What could have caused something like this. 

"As a trader, I possess many powerful weapons, some of which many think can only exist in their worst nightmares." 

Johann. 

It felt like the whole world was against me. So many dead and so little time to grief, to let myself feel at fault or just plain sad that those close to me were no longer around. I tried to hide my tears, to seem strong and unfazed in front of the enemy. I breathed in and out calmly, trying to steady myself. To avoid fainting from all this stress and loss. 

I went to face Johann, but he wasn't there. I'm not complaining, though. At least that was one less thing I needed to worry about. Besides dad having been murdered, Astrid having been burnt alive, Fishlegs stabbed by a tree, with Meatlug and Stormfly also dead, Toothless nowhere to be found and 3 of the worst dragon hunters still somewhere in this ruined village. 

Could it get any worse? Of course it could. It always can. Just the mere thought of all the terrible things that had happened so far made me cry. I couldn't hold the tears back any longer, and even standing up straight was challenging. 

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to cuddle with Toothless and hug the ones I had lost. To cry in their arms and hold them tight. To say goodbye or beg them to stay. But what about everyone else? 

Snotlout, Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Toothless. Heck, even Gobber and Spitelout could be at risk. I needed to find them all, and fast. I hurried back towards the centre of the village, from there I would have a better view of the riders still in the sky. 

I could see them a little now. The twins were fighting harder than they ever had, tears staining their faces and the need to get revenge being the only thing keeping them going. Then there was Snotlout, who was blasting everything that moved. He tackled Krogan head on, desperate to avenge Astrid and Fishlegs.

The A Team was helping rid everyone of the hunters on the ground, whilst also searching for Viggo and Johann, in need to get back at them for ending the life of the person who had started their team, and any other fallen soldiers. 

Most, if not everyone, had cried or was crying. Everyone knew the riders, and losing them hurt everyone. Sadly, not a single tear was for Stoick. I seemed to be the only one that knew of his death. I wasn't really ok with that, I wanted to talk to someone about it or know that someone else was feeling the same pain as me. 

But I could worry about that later. I had to warn Snotlout and the Twins, not to mention find Toothless and Gobber. 

"You are going to pay for what your did, you mutton-headed butt-elves!" The twins yelled in absolute unison. 

Their insults would usually amuse me if it weren't for the depressing situation I was currently in. If I didn't get up there, in the smoke covered sky, Snotlout and the Twins would most surely die and their bodies would be added to the growing pile. 

Losing ones friend leaves most cold and sad, but losing ones family tears all apart. That's what I felt like. Every piece of me just wanted to quit, to finally let the misery take over. That boulder hurt, but this hurt more. 

Ignoring my feelings of pain and heartbreak, I continued to run. I needed a dragon. I had to fly up there and force the rest to the riders to retreat. We couldn't win, not now when our hearts burned with depression and our minds felt numb with loss. 

"Aaaaahh!" 

Why did every murder have to start with a scream? It just made it so much harder to cope, not that I was even coping now. And, what made it even worse, was who the scream originated from. The twins. I stared at the sky, trying to find a reason to live. 

There were the Twins, both having been forced off their dragon. The Zippleback had already hit the ground, having crashed into the forest. By the look of those torn trees, it didn't survive. 

Ruffnut and Tuffnut both had arrows poking out of their bodies. Tuffnut had one going through his head, barely missing his right eye. The wind blew his blood all over his face, staining his teeth and covering his hair. The boy barely looked like himself anymore. 

Ruffnut had one going through her chest, probably piercing a lung or her heart. It went through her chest, the sharp point of the arrow sticking out of her back. That area around her body had already started bruising and swelling. 

They slammed into the forest, the one which I had emerged from earlier. They didn't land far from their dragon, and, although they were a decent distance away, I could still hear the sickening crunch of their bones and the trees cracking. 

It was almost like everything else had purposely gone quiet, just so that I could hear the trees destroy what the arrows didn't. My heart beated fast, and I was close to a heart or panic attack. I imagined what they would look like now, with all of their bones broken and bodies destroyed. 

It was a stupid thing to do, I know, but I did just that. What I imagined was something that I wished I hadn't. I finally couldn't take it more. My head felt like it was on fire and my heart felt as though it had been squashed under the pain of loss, the only thing that was heavy enough to hurt so much. 

I collapsed. My legs gave way and I fell onto the blood covered ground. I felt the cold grass brush my cheek and the dirt stain my pants. I fell asleep once again, tears exploding out of my eyes and the torture that swam through my soul only growing more agonising. 

                                           ~◇~

My eyes slowly fluttered open, my tears acting as glue, attempting to hold them shut a little longer. I groaned, my position on the floor slowly shifting. My body, weak from mourning, struggled to hold my weight as I stood. 

I swayed slowly form side to side, nausea flowing through me. The lack of water and food consumption, along with the sadness and sorrow which filled my veins caused me to vomit. I leaned forward as revolting and chunky liquid ran up my throat and out of my mouth. 

It felt terrible and, over all, put me into an even worse mood. Vomit landed on my shoes and pants, covering them in the disgusting goop. Along with my previous lunch, dried blood decorated my clothing and skin. Only little of it was my own, while the rest belonged to others, like...dad. 

Finally, I noticed my surroundings. All covered in ash and burnt wood. No huts were left standing and the fires had all died down. The only living thing left on this now barren land was me. Don't be fooled by that though, there was so many to her people here, yet I was the only one still breathing. 

That were dragons too. I recognised some like; Meatlug, Barf and Belch, Stormfly, Grump, Hookfang, Fanghook, and Skullcrusher. I would have been crying if there were any tears left to cry. Instead, I sobbed loudly and screamed gibberish. 

"No...NO! Everyone! ASTRID! DAD! Riders! Anyone..." 

My screams soon became nothing but inaudible whimpers. Everyone. Everyone was dead. This was all my fault. I was too slow to save them. I wasn't good enough and, because of me, they all had to pay the price.

Why did I have to go and train dragons? Not only that, but then I went and got everyone on Berk to ride dragons and fight a life threatening battle against hunters very week. What is wrong with me? 

I should be the one dead, not them. I don't deserve to survive with only a few scratches whilst they are all brutally murdered. I get life isn't fair, but this just wasn't right.

THIS WASN'T RIGHT!

'Roar ' Echoed through the night. I jumped up, frightened by the sudden loud noise. My mind was all fuzzy from mourning that it took me a while to figure out that that was Toothless. My face lit up, and I did something I never thought I would do again. 

I smiled. I was so happy all of a  sudden. Toothless was still alive! He was still here! Maybe there was still some hope left. I raced towards the noise, blindly running through the dark. I tripped over several times, but I didn't care. 

Toothless was alive! He was alive! This didn't mean that I no longer cared about the others, I did. I really did, and their dead, broken bodies were the most horrifying, tragic things I had ever seen. 

I was scarred for life. Mentally ruined, or at least it felt that way. But Toothless, the one living thing that never left my side, even when dad and the whole village had given up on me, was still alive. 

"Toothless!" I yelled excitedly into the night. "Toothless, where are you?'' 

Another roar echoed through this barren land. This one though, wasn't from Toothless. The roar came from a SingeTail. A huge dragon that could shoot fire from its stomach, mouth and tail. It was bigger than a Nightfury and several other dragons. 

Not to mention that the hunters had a large supply of them. If there were SingeTails here, then so were the flyers, and Krogan. Toothless was in trouble.

He was in huge trouble. I needed to get to him, and fast. I wasn't able to save the riders, but I would save Toothless, if it was the last thing I did. If I failed to, then that would be the end of me. I refused to live. I had been contemplating suicide earlier when I found everyone rotting bodies, but Toothless was my new hope. 

Maybe if I had him, it would all be alright again? How foolish of me to have such hopeful dreams. It was hard to see in the dark, so I had to pay really close attention to everything around me. 

Toothless roared again, but this time, he sounded distressed. They found him. Maybe Toothless would be spared? Maybe he would stay? I couldn't have been more wrong. 

"Just one more left."

Johann's voice sounded threatening. Upon hearing this voice, I visibly tensed. I tried to keep running, but now with the added fear, I was finding it hard to breathe, and running wasn't helping. I was hyperventilating at this point. Panicking so much that I could no longer run in a straight line. 

I was starting to lose aspiration when, I saw it. It moved in the dark, his roar soaring through my mind. It was loud now, really loud. 

"Toothless!" I yelled.

Partly in shock and partly in relief. I had found him, but someone else had found him first. Krogan flew over the top of the Nightfury on his SingeTail. Toothless having been firmly tied down in dragon proof chains and well muzzled. He could barely open his mouth enough to roar or growl. Johann and Viggo stood next to him, smiles plastered on their faces. 

"You see my dear Hiccup, although you've won all the battles, you've lost the war." Viggo explained in his strangely calm tone. 

"Did you ever think you could win? You were just a group of idiotic kids. The only way you would win was if we never tried." Johann spat rudely.

I would have been angry, if he weren't right. Look at what I've done. I thought I could triumph. I thought I could save the dragons, and protect my friends from getting hurt. I did a horrible job. 'Protect them from pain'. They were dead. All murdered during the battle. 

I'm the idiot that got all of Berk killed. So stupid of me to think I could do something right. 

Defeated, I hung my head, staring at the ground. This was all my fault. All my fault.

But I couldn't let them kill another one of my friends because of me. I had to do something, fight back. But the lack of energy or strength held me back. I couldn't do anything, except...

"Killing the last Nightfury left alive. I thought you were smarter than that, Viggo." I countered.

"In business, you have to make sacrifices. Tearing my opponents apart is what I do best." He quickly replied. 

"Then kill me." 

They laughed at my words. I would have too if I were them. 

"After all this time, Hiccup Haddock the third, dragon master and rider of the last, living Nightfury, finally begs for death." Johann snarled, bitterly. 

"Do it. I dare you." 

"No. That's for you to do yourself. And, trust me, you will." Viggo stated. 

Krogan suddenly pulled at the chains wrapped around his dragon's mouth. It roared loudly before blasting the Nightfury. Fire exploded out of its mouth and stomach, hitting Toothless hard. 

"NO!" I screamed. 

I tried to run forward, to join him in the fire, but when I did, I ended falling. I tried to stand back up, but found it impossible to separate my legs. I looked down, and saw a thick rope, wrapped tightly around my ankles. I tried in vain to untie the knot, but it just wouldn't come undone. 

Behind me, a hunter laughed to himself as he walked away, satisfied. To him, watching me fall over because of his own 'handi-work' was hilarious. Soon, he vanished into the night, and I was left lying on the floor, unable to stand. 

Still, I tried to reach Toothless. I gave up on trying to untie myself and just used my arms to drag my body forward. I wasn't moving much closer to him, and, as his roars of pain became louder, my heart ached more.  

"STOP!" I desperately yelled out. 

They laughed at the horrendous sight, thoroughly enjoying my pain. Their disrespect and merciless behaviour was impossible to ignore. Toothless' roars teared at my ears. I wished for it to stop, and I screamed out even louder, begging them to do so.

Finally, after deciding that they'd messed with me enough, they stopped. The now large fire was swept away by a sudden, strong wind, only to reveal a badly injured dragon. 

There Toothless lay, looking absolutely defeated. He barely breathed, and his once beautiful, black scales were charred and ruined. His wings were destroyed, as the fire had burnt right through, creating holes and making them unusable. 

Dragons had fire proof scales, but enough concentration of fire at high temperatures was all it took to make the scales useless. Toothless was half dead, and with chains choking him, breathing was difficult. 

I continued to squirm closer, thankful that the fire stopped. Maybe they decided to spare him, let him be? I couldn't have been more wrong. 

Suddenly, a large spear sped over me, soaring fast through the air. It raced towards Toothless, prepared to hit him on the side. The poor Nightfury was too injured to dodge it, or move out the way. Not to mention the chains covering his body limited movement and slowed him down significantly. 

"NO!" I yelled. 

The spear had a clear path to it's target. Nothing could stop it, and nothing did. It striked, digging deep into the dragon's body. Blood immediately poured out of the wound, and a deafening roar filled the air. The agony he felt was clearly heard in his cry of pain. 

I stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Toothless as snow completely still. Not breathing. Not seeing. Not living. He was dead, just like everyone else. 

"NO! TOOTHLESS!" I sobbed.

Somewhere behind me, another hunter freed me of the ropes, but I didn't care. Toothless was the only one left, and I had failed to save him too. All I did was get him killed. I was a monster. 

"Don't come near my hunters and their ships. If you do, I just might need to pay the 'Berserkers' a visit too." Viggo spat. 

His threats went in through one ear and out the other. There was no point to living anymore. I had gone from being: Hiccup The Useless, to: Hiccup The Murderer. I sobbed loudly as I felt my heart melt into nothing  but a memory. 'Kill me.' - That's what I said to them. That was my one and only request. 

But they laughed at me and instead killed a whole island of people, just to get the satisfaction of tearing me to pieces. Of torturing me in the most cruel way possible. Revenge was sweet, and apparently hunters had a 'sweet-tooth'. 

I curled into a ball, and blamed myself. It was my fault. Who's else could it be? Then, I decided something that I should have a long time ago.

I deserved to die. 

No question about it. Torture would not be enough. I deserved to be killed. But who to do it? The only person around was...me. 

I slowly got up from my position, and crawled towards a nearby, destroyed hut. Wood planks and ash decorated the ground. Next to the burnt hut was a Berkian - his dead body covered in blood and burns. In his left hand was a sword, covered in a familiar red liquid. I gently released it from his grasp.

I held it by its handle and examined it closely. Killing yourself is a scary thing to do, and my nervousness caused me to hesitate. Did I really have to do this? That question was all it took for me to do it. Of course I had to do it! Its the price everyone else had to pay, therefore I deserved something just as bad, or maybe even worse. 

I gripped the sword tightly in my hands, then took a deep breathe and stabbed it through my chest. I felt it dig into my skin and muscle like it was nothing when-  

                                    ~◇~

I opened my eyes and found myself in a hut, still alive.


	4. The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strange girl, both injured and without shelter must fend for herself. She struggles to return to her beloved dragon, even finding herself face-to-face with an angry Deadly Nadder.

Water covered her burnt body, and golden sand hid beneath in her clothes. It stuck to her wet form, making a mess of her brown hair and causing her to feel itchy all over. The sun shone brightly in the clear sky, making the air feel warm whilst a soft breeze blew down the beach. 

She shivered as the slight wind made contact with her cold skin. She shut her eyes even tighter in a desperate attempt to remain asleep. The tide pushed the water onto her legs, rising all the way up to her thighs before being pulled away. Her stomach was pressed to the ground and her face was covered in sand which climbed into her mouth, nose and eyes. 

Overall, this position in this location was uncomfortable. But Ka's body felt so numb and at the same time ached so much that just the idea of moving sounded painful. Eventually, Ka couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal her forest green irises. 

She tried to lift her arms but they refused to cooperate. Ka groaned in discomfort and annoyance as she continued to attempt getting up. Every bone in her body hurt, and each limb felt extremely heavy. Digging her hands into the wet sand, Ka eventually managed to get herself into a crawling position. 

Unable to get any higher up, Ka began to crawl towards the forest that outlined the beach. After what felt like hours, Ka had finally managed to move around 2 metres closer to her destination. Her body was already throbbing as her arms struggled to support her body weight. They wobbled and shook quite a lot, making moving more of a challenge than it should have been. 

Soon, she collapsed again, the side of her face colliding with the soft, beach sand. Ka panted rapidly, feeling absolutely exhausted. She didn't know what to do. Making her way to the forest was turning out to be much harder than expected. She was too weak from the previous night's events to do anything but sleep. 

She wanted to close her eyes and rest. But the thought of her dragon, waiting days for her return sounded unfair. 'What if it got tired of waiting alone, hiding in a cold cave for hours on end and decided to leave? What if Night ran out of food, and when it went to find more it got caught by hunters?' - these possibilities whizzed through her mind, scaring her crazy. 

She needed to leave, and so, with the thought of her dragon in her mind, she started to wobble to her feet. After a few minutes, she stood, swaying gently from side to side as she struggled to continue standing. 

Her head pounded and her vision was fuzzy. She clutched her forehead as she felt a migraine approach, only to make herself lose balanced. She started to fall forwards, almost face-planting onto the sand once again. 

Luckily, her reflexes saved her from another fall. Her left leg quickly moved forward, helping Ka re-balance and straighten back up. Every muscle in her body felt sore, and just the thought of having to take another step seemed impossible to the already tired teenager. 

After several minutes of hesitation, Ka ignored her aching limbs and continued to journey forwards. Upon reaching the forest, Ka was filled with relief, feeling inexplicably happy to have made it this far. 

She leaned onto the nearest tree, thankful for the extra support. Venturing deeper into the forest, Ka made her way back to the cave, where she left everything she owned. 

The entire walk, Ka swayed lazily through the plant covered environment, using only her memory to guide her to her destination. Every step she took caused her to feel pain, if it were from the cuts and bruises decorating her skin, or the burns which were scattered all over her. 

The air became colder the deeper into he forest Ka walked. Finally, after what felt like years of hiking, Ka made it. In front of her was a fairly tall hill, with bushes covering the bottom in big groups.  

One of the bushes was growing delicious, purple berries, and was hidden slightly behind two, larger plants. Ka wearily pushed past them, careful to avoid thorns and sharp sticks. She then gently squeezed through the berry bush, disappearing behind its luscious, green leaves. 

Ka found herself inside a kind of cave space. It was dark and moist in here, not to mention much cooler. Ka relaxed upon seeing her belongings had not moved from where she had left them earlier in the week. In this cave, Ka felt safe, like nothing could harm her while she was hidden inside. 

Ka let her legs give way. She dropped to the cold, stone ground, grazing her already hurting knees on the hard , rough surface. She dragged herself towards the pile of belongings, and climbed onto the low, grass bed. A thin, homemade blanket covered the grass, as to make the bed more comfortable, while a thicker blanket lay on top, so that Ka would be able to keep warm during chilly nights. 

Laying on top of the bed, Ka wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, too weak to change out of her wet clothes. For several hours she slept, dreaming of her dragon and shivering under the sheets as the warmth the bed brought contradicted with the cold her body radiated. Later she awoke, feeling much better. 

Her energy levels had gone up, and she was now able to stand without rocking back and forth. Ka found that a big improvement, and gladly changed into a fresh pair of clothes. She pulled on a pair of brownish-green pants, made of soft cotton, with a thin layer of sheep's wool outlining the inside, making them warm and especially good for cold weather. A long-sleeved top in a beige, tan colour which was sewed together messily in brown string at the collar covered her chest and stomach. 

A pair of brown leather boots kept her feet warm and matched perfectly with her belt. It wasn't a very attractive outfit, but it was all she needed. Ka looked down at the objects plied up on the ground. There were several things there, and carrying all that would be a nuisance, not to mention inconvenient. So Ka decided to sort through her stuff, only packing the absolute essentials. 

The map she found on Dark Deep, an old canteen, a spare change of clothes, one blanket, a drawing of her and her family as well as a few snacks. She packed them tightly into the brown, used satchel and prepared herself to leave. She was just tying the bag shut so that nothing would fall out when a deafening roar echoed through the cave. Ka froze, staring blindly at the back of the cave. This cave went deep into the ground, before finally ending as a thick wall of soil and stone blocked the rest of the underground hide-out. 

The roar came again, this time louder and sounding much closer. Ka began to slowly back up, steadily nearing the only exit. Gently, she placed the satchel over her shoulder, not wanting to leave it behind. She quietened her breathing, and made her foot steps as silent as possible, as to not alert whatever dragon was hiding in this cave. She was almost out when she tripped. 

Walking backwards like she was meant that she had no idea what was behind her, making it easy to trip or walk into something or someone. Standing only a few centimeters off the ground was a rock, sticking proudly out of the floor. As Ka went to take another step, the heal of her foot made contact with the rock, causing her to lose balance and fall rather loudly to the ground. Wing rushed through the cave as a large dragon attempted to use its wings in this small place. 

Out of the dark emerged a large Nadder, with pink and green scales covering its body. The spikes on its tail were pointing upwards, prepared to be thrown at Ka if necessary. It snarled an ear-piercing snarl, causing her to jump back in fear. She quickly rose to her feet, and raced towards the exit of the cave.  She ignored the thorns and sharp sticks that scratched at her arms and legs, tumbling out of the plants, and panting for air. She hadn't run much, yet Ka was already feeling out of breathe. 

The Deadly Nadder roared aggressively as it blasted its way out of the cave, burning the plants to dust. Ka sprinted as fast as her legs would take her. Fear shone in her forest green eyes as the large dragon continued to chase her through the woods. The teenage girl sped on wards, unaware of where she was going. 

She passed massive oak trees and other plants, including beautifully coloured flowers and big, berry bushes. This island was a magnificent one, with one of a kind scenery and plantation, but Ka couldn't stay, or even pause to admire her gorgeous surroundings. The pink and green coloured Nadder was getting closer to her every second, and Ka really didn't want to die before she reached Night. 

Soon, Ka made it out of the forest, and found herself back on the beach. The water glimmered in the sun, and the golden sand was warm to the touch. She raced down the shore, quickly nearing the water when a large, pink and green Nadder landed in front of her, successfully blocking the teenager's path.

Ka, surprised by the dragon's sudden appearance, tripped backwards, twisting her right ankle. She groaned as sand entered open wounds she had not yet treated and scratched at her burns. Wishing she had tended to those injuries before, Ka closed her eyes, unable to stand. She awaited her fate, certain that this dragon was going to kill her. Seconds passed and nothing happened. The occasional snarl from the dragon told her it hadn't yet left, but it wasn't hurting her. Actually, it wasn't even touching her. 

Ka opened her eyes, expecting to see the massive interior of mouth, out-lined in razor sharp teeth and ready to swallow her whole. But instead, she saw a pink and green Nadder, just standing at her feet, turning its head from side to side, as if searching for something. Ka blinked in confusion. 'Why isn't it eating me? Nadders are omnivores, there isn't any reason to not eat me.' - she wondered. 

The dragon's head reached high above her own, and the spikes which covered its body were relaxed, as if there was no reason for it to use them. Ka shifted slightly on the sand, trying to find a way to leave while the Nadder was distracted. But, with every little noise she made, the Nadder would stop moving and listen for a few seconds before continuing its search. 

Suddenly, it started to make sense. The Nadder wasn't hurting her because it couldn't see her. When Ka fell, she was lucky enough to land in the Nadder's blind spot; right in front of its nose. It didn't know she was there. Relief flooded her body and she let herself relax. 'Maybe I can use this to my advantage.' She decided. 

Gently reaching out her right hand, Ka went to touch the Nadder. Bad idea. Its head suddenly snapped around, its left eye glaring at the teenager. Ka gasped and pulled back her arm, afraid that the spiky lizard would bite it off. It roared loudly, jumping back so that it could get a better look at her. She tensed as the dragon began to approach her again. It moved fast along the sand, speeding towards her at fantastic speeds.

Thinking quickly, Ka reached out her hand, wrist bent so that her palm was the Nadder. It cried out once again, refusing to slow. It could hardly see her hand, as the closer it got to her, the more of it vanished, hidden in the dragon's blind spot. Sand was thrown in all directions as the large, predatory creature zoomed across it.

Soon, it was close enough to devour her whole. But it didn't, and this time, for a completely different reason. Before the gorgeous dragon could do another thing to hurt her, Ka's hand collided with the Nadder's nose. She could feel its hard scales rubbing against her fingers, warmth licking at her palm. The dragon froze, eyes-wide as the human girl made contact with its nose.

It felt nice, and slowly, Ka felt the Nadder calm down. Its breathing wasn't as fast anymore and seemed more controlled. Soon, Ka had earned its trust, having proven to the dragon that she wasn't a threat. It snorted slightly and carefully stepped back as to not scare Ka further. The Nadder bowed, giving Ka its full respect. She smiled happily, glad she was able to sort this out.

But, there was one more thing. Ka glanced past the Nadder's stomach, her eyes scanning the area in attempt to determine the dragon's gender. Male. 'What unique colours for a male Nadder. Never met a pink one before. It suits him.'- She thought. With this newly acquired information, Ka decided on a name.

"I think I'm going to call you Tulip. What do you think?" Ka asked animal.

A roar was his reply. This roar though, was different to his others. It was more cheerful and less threatening. Ka could have sworn he smiled as he responded, and she was overjoyed to receive his agreement. Yet, no matter how much she wanted to stay and relax on this beach with her new dragon friend, she had to leave.

"Hey Tulip, would you mind helping me out?" Ka queried.

                                 ~◇~

Pink, purples, oranges and yellows replaced the blue which once coloured the sky. Few clouds dotted the airspace, and the ones that did looked softer than the softest silk in existence. The sun slowly slid out of view, promising a visit from the stars soon, and its safe return in the morning. The ocean shined with the reflection of the setting sun glowing brightly on the calm waters. 

There couldn't be a better time to ride a dragon. Ka relaxed on the comfortable back of Tulip, fully enjoying the wonderful scenery and the perfect weather. Her tightly bandaged ankle hung off the side of the dragon as her eyes longingly studied the drawing in her hands. The fragile paper was gripped tightly in her fingers, as she was determined to prevent the wind from sweeping it away. 

Staring at the picture, Ka imagined what it would be like to have them here, now. They would have loved this beautiful sunset. Tears welled up in her eyes as the sound of their caring voices filled her mind. She quickly wiped her tears away with her sleeve, her eyes already puffy from them. She sniffed as their gentle smiles became the only things she could and wanted to see. 

"Oh, what I would give to have you back." She whispered, staring at the picture. 

Her eyes danced with their memory, and her heart pranced with their love. They were her everything, and in a week from now, they would've died 5 years ago. 5 whole, agonising years ago. She was so young back then. So much happier and bright. Unable to take anymore of the heart ache, Ka returned the picture to her satchel, cautious to not drop it. 

Hours passed and now the sky was free of its colours. It was completely black, with pale stars sparkling all over. Stars reminded Ka of people and dragons. They might seem close to the bare eye, when truly, they are impossibly far apart. She sighed as the fact she had to sleep through such a clear night felt like a waste.

But to be truthful, she was still exhausted from the boat incident. Still, she saw no point to sleeping, as there hadn't been a single night in which she slept completely through since that day. At least not peacefully. Nightmares replaced dreams, and fear and loss replaced peace. Yet her exhaustion contradicted her fear of falling asleep, and minutes later she was out. Eyes tightly shut as the nightmares began. 

The whole night was filled with terrible dreams caused by gruesome memories. Several times during her rest, Tulip had to wake her, as he was concerned for his new friend and worried for her well-being. Ka hardly slept, and when she awoke, she felt absolutely horrible. 'It was a bad idea to look at that god-damn drawing.' She told herself.

Nights hadn't been this bad in months, and she ended up waking at the crack of dawn, incapable of going through another few hours of torture. She wiped the tears off her face and cleaned the blood from palms. It wasn't unusual for Ka to awake and find that she had been making such tight fists during her sleep that her nails went deep enough to draw blood. 

For that reason, she cut them whenever she had the chance, trying to avoid causing self-harm unknowingly. The sunrise brought back the colours which the night had stolen, and made the air feel warm. A gentle breeze blew past, ruffling Ka's messy hair and stinging her wet eyes. She yawned, clearly still lacking sleep. 

Ignoring that, Ka went on to plan some fun things to do. They were likely going to reach their destination today, if not, very early tomorrow, and she hoped to do something semi-interesting before they arrived and were forced to part ways. 'Fun is my speciality.' Ka thought, a smile growing on her face. 

"Hey Tulip, show me how fast you can go." Ka urged, after she had tightly closed the bag and tied it to one of the many spikes on the Nadder's body. 

Tulip snarled in response and threw her wings forward quickly. The pair shot through the air at terrific speeds, almost fast enough to challenge another, more iconic, Nadder; Stormfly. Racing through clouds and soaring through the sky, Ka 'whooped' in joy the entire flight. She would be hanging tightly to the dragon one second, and be throwing her arms up in the air the next. 

That ride was exactly what Ka needed to take her mind off her sleepless night and deceased parents. Afterwards, she felt much better, and was still filled with joy and excitement ages after the thrilling ride had concluded. Soon, it was midday, and Ka's lack of food in the past few days was really starting to effect her. 

Her thoughts were than brought to Tulip. 'He's probably hungry, too. What to eat, what to eat?' Ka wondered. She had her food, neatly packed in her satchel, but nothing she had would be enough to satisfy a dragon's appetite. 'Well, what do dragon's eat?' She thought, trying to brainstorm some ideas of what to give Tulip to eat and how to get it. 

"That's it!" Ka exclaimed loudly. 

Tulip looked up at her in confusion, perplexed by her sudden outburst after hours of silent flying. Ka simply grinned mischievously, making sure her bag was still tied well to the Nadder. She gently removed something from the satchel, hiding it in her closed fist. Slowly, she stood, trying to avoid putting to much weight on a specific, twisted ankle. Taking a deep breathe, Ka prepared herself to jump. 

"Don't catch me, ok? Pick me up from the water, but only when you see me wave to you." Ka ordered, before leaping off the Nadder and diving into the ocean resting hundreds of meters under them. 

She vanished into the icy waters, completely unharmed. Once completely submerged, Ka opened her fist to reveal a leaf of lettuce. She had some left from her previous meal days ago, and if memory serves correctly, lettuce is loved by fish. Sure enough, a stupid or courageous fish started to swim towards her. It hurried for the lettuce leaf resting in her hand, and just as it was about to eat it, Ka grabbed its tail with her free hand. It squirmed to get free, but failed to do so.

Ka wrapped it up in the shirt she was wearing, as if turning it into a pouch for fish. Her lungs started to scream for air, and Ka was forced to resurface. After taking a quick breath, she rushed back under the waves, and, using this method, caught around 5, juicy fish in a matter of minutes. Kicking her legs back and forth quickly, Ka found her head floating above the salty sea, her left hand raised and waving vigorously at her dragon. 

Not wasting a second, Tulip grabbed her hand in his claws, eventually swinging her back onto his back. Once sitting safely on the Nadder again, she unfolded her shirt. Taking one fish out, Ka threw it into the air, right in front of the Nadder. One word left her mouth as she did that;

"Catch!" 

The dragon happily obeyed, grateful to have received food during this tiresome flight. After she had fed Tulip, Ka searched her bag for her lunch. She pulled out a big, red apple, its colour similar to the one of blood. Desperate for food, Ka sunk her teeth into its flesh, and sighed hungrily as she felt it go down her throat. 

                                             ~◇~

It was close to sunset and the gorgeous colours which came with it threatened to return. But, in the distance, Ka saw an island. It became larger the closer they got to it and the greenery which covered it was undeniable. Ka's heart jumped with joy at the thought that she would soon be reunited with her dragon. With Night. 

"Odin's Respite." She voiced, her words being swept away by the wind. 

A huge smile was plastered on her face and a sense of relief washed over her. They were almost there. An hour left, tops. Her green eyes glowed with happiness and Ka felt ready to swim to the island if necessary. Upon sensing her excitement, Tulip flew faster, hoping to please his rider further. It worked.

As soon as they landed, Ka hopped off, satchel in hand. Tulip knew this was goodbye, and deep down, he didn't want it to be. He had been more than just transportation and Ka had been more than just a passenger, they were friends. Ka, having found leaving Tulip harder than expected, decided to make this goodbye a good one. 

She walked up to the beautiful, pale pink and green Nadder. She look him in the eyes and pressed her face against his, hoping, wishing to meet again. Ka watched sadly as he flew away to who-knows-where. Trying to ignore these upset feelings, Ka bounced into the woods, running towards their cave.

Yep, caves were good hiding places, and most islands had them. Stepping on roots, sticks and dead, dry leaves, Ka only thought of Night, and how thrilled her dragon was going to be when it realised she had returned. Every unique flower, every insanely massive tree or wondrous animal was neglected. She didn't have time for 'sight-seeing', she had to get to her dragon. 

 It was what she has been wanting to do for weeks. To hug her Nightfury close and sleep safely in its wings. The thought of it itself filled her with warmth and made her want to scream its name. After an hour of sprinting through the woods, Ka finally made it to the cave. She looked at it closely, taking a deep breathe as to not freak out and yell when she finally saw her dragon again. 

In the dark, a creature moved, its long, black tail scraping across the hard, rock floor. Sharp teeth hung out of its mouth and a ferocious growl left its lips. Large, brown eyes glared at Ka from within the cave, daring her to come closer. Its claws scratched at the ground while big, black wings burst out of its sides in attempt to make itself seem larger. 

Ka giggled at her dragon. Leave it to Night to try and Loki her as soon as she gets back. She took another step forward, arms hanging horizontally by her side, as if asking the dangerous creature for a hug. It jumped out of the cave, tackling her to the ground. She laughed as her amazing companion began to lick at her face. 

"Stop it, Night." She shrieked whilst playfully trying to push the Nightfury off her. 

But Night decided she wanted to keep playing, and so she bounced around Ka, licking her every few seconds. 'It's good to be back.'- Ka thought, glad that she was finally reunited with her best friend once again.


	5. The Treatment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally having arrived on Berk, the group of desperate riders hurry to Gothi's hut. You can only imagine the suffering for both Hiccup and his family as he receives the painful, yet neccessary treatment.

The dragons' wings flapped lazily as the tired lizards fought to keep high altitude. That storm had taken a lot of their energy, and those dragons carrying extra people or extra dragons were struggling the most. More specifically, Stormfly. She was the unlucky one stuck carrying Toothless, Astrid and Hiccup. 

During the long, tiring flight, the other dragons did take turns carrying Toothless, but mostly, it was Stormfly who undertook the task. It's not like she was forced to. Everyone knew that the Nightfury and Nadder were unbelievably close, being the bestest friends that dragons could be. She was glad to be able to assist her flightless friend to cross a vast ocean. 

The ride seemed to take forever, and with each passing minute, Hiccup seemed to be looking worse. Bruises were forming all over his body, more specifically around his face. His eyelids were turning black and broken limbs swelled. Blood dried, coating his skin in a hard, gross, brown substance and making his already broken features look more destroyed. 

Every now and then he would groan, his eyes closing even tighter and face scrunching up. It was hard for Astrid to watch him suffer, unable to do anything to ease his pain. There had even been several times when he would scream loudly, the agony becoming too much to handle. Whenever he did, everyone, even the dragons, would cringe, shut their eyes and turn away.

Seeing a friend in pain... it's a hard thing to witness, especially when they could do nothing but watch. 

Hours passed, the sky glowed different colours and the sun continued to vanish on the horizon. It was a beautiful sunset, but not beautiful enough to brighten the mood. It was like there was a huge, dark, storm cloud, drowning the group in sadness and fear. No-one said a word since they had escaped the previously monstrous weather, barely surviving the hail and raging seas. 

Now, Astrid hugged Hiccup close, hoping that her love would heal him. It was stupid, she knew that, but still, she hoped. Hoped he made it out of this alive. Hoped that he would still be her Hiccup when he did. Hoped that he would be back on his feet, flying on his fantastic Nightfury every day again. 

"Uh, guys... do you see that?" Tuffnut voiced, breaking the silence. 

Astrid looked up from the injured male in arms to where the twin was pointing. Up ahead, Astrid could just see something. It looked very small from this far away, but Astrid would recognise that island anywhere. That place had been her home for most of her life, and there was little chance anyone here would not remember it. 

"Berk!" Snotlout exclaimed, almost jumping off of Hookfang's saddle in excitement. 

Astrid smiled for the first time that day, relief filling her. 'We made it! We finally made it.' She thought to herself. Yes, the journey here wasn't a very fun one, but it was completely worth it. Upon realizing how close they were to their destination, the dragons sped up, flying faster than even they thought possible, despite their exhaustion. 

"Alright, Snotlout, I need you to go ahead and prepare Gothi, we haven't had time to send a Terror Mail, so a few minutes heads-up would probably be useful. Tuffnut, Ruffnut, go and get Stoick, and if you can, Gobber. They're going to want to know about Hiccup's... condition. And Fishlegs, you stay with me. Stormfly might need some help with Toothless." Astrid addressed each of them, sure to give everyone a job to do. 

They all nodded their agreements, with Snotlout and the Twins rushing forward to complete their assigned tasks. Astrid watched as the riders hurried closer towards Berk, flying even faster than previously. She could practically see the determination shining in the Monstrous Nightmare's yellow eyes as he flew past.

Astrid stared straight ahead, watching happily as Berk grew bigger. Before she knew it, Astrid was landing in front of Gothi's healing hut, Meatlug now holding Toothless. Snotlout was already there, Gothi by his side, waiting for her patient to arrive. The male rider greeted her with a warm smile, and she returned it with a (forced) one of her own.

Meatlug gently placed the Nightfury down onto the wooden floor, knowing he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Even if Fishlegs were to try and leave Toothless somewhere else, the skilled dragon would still somehow make its way here. With so many dragons now on the wooden platform, Meatlug was forced to fly down beside the structure and let her rider jump off, before regaining altitude and circling above. Gothi needed space, and no one wanted to get in her way. 

She wouldn't have appreciated so many dragons and people crowded around her outdoor healing space. Besides, it would have been rude of them to completely disrespect her strict rules. She had just added one-maximum of 3 dragons on my deck. The woman needed the space to write out her responses in the sand and move around to retrieve the needed equipment, which was perfectly understandable. She was a healer working in a Viking village. 

Fishlegs walked up to the blue Nadder, arms raised above his head and towards Astrid, palms facing the sky. Astrid looked at his kind face, knowing exactly what he wanted her to do. She hesitated. 'Fishlegs is my friend. But... I don't want to let go of Hiccup.' She pondered what she should do. 

"Just pass him down. I promise I won't drop him." He reassured her in a welcoming voice. 

'How can I say no to that?' She wondered, slightly laughing at her little joke. Of course, no one heard it except her, but so what? Very carefully, the maiden lowered the unconscious boy into the other male's hands. He gratefully took Hiccup and slowly carried him to Gothi. The elder's eyes widened as she got a better look at the victim. 

She would have expected something worse if she had known that the boy had been hit by a boulder. But, Snotlout forgot to mention that. And how he was thrown into the ocean during a vicious storm as well as how long he had spent without medical treatment. All Snotlout really did was tell Gothi that Hiccup was injured with broken bones and scarred skin. That silly buffoon. 

Gothi had no idea she would receive such a ruined Viking. Fear flashed in her eyes and her mouth gaped open at the horrific sight before her. Not wanting to waste much longer, she hurried inside, gesturing for the others to follow. They did as they were told, and even Toothless came inside. The other dragons remained outdoors though, there being not enough space for them all. 

The only reason Gothi even let Toothless in was because she knew that this was going to require a bit of surgery, and since more advanced technology hadn't been invented yet, people were usually awake during such performances. Hiccup needed all of the support he could get, including this dragon's. 

Once inside, the elder woman pointed to the wooden bed that sat in the middle of the room. A single blanket lay on top, placed there not for comfort, but for cleanliness. She needed to operate on this boy, and there would surely be blood. She didn't need cuts to get infected on a plain, wooden surface. 

As Fishlegs delicately placed one, hurt, Hiccup Haddock, on the bed, Gothi rushed around the room, grabbing medicines and supplies. Placing everything she had taken from her shelves on a nearby table, the woman handed Astrid a dagger. No, they weren't going to kill Hiccup, put him out of his misery, they were going to undress him. 

For Gothi to be able to properly address all injuries, she would need to be able to see all of him, including under his clothes. Not to mention he needed to be bathed, under all the blood were probably more bruises or cuts. It would also be a great way to avoid infection, as a dirty wound could result in the need to completely remove a limb or 2. But this specific boy had already experienced what it's like lacking a part of his body, and he didn't need nor want anymore missing arms or legs. 

Very carefully, Gothi began to slide her dagger under the collar of his shirt, the blade facing the ceiling. Gripping the handle tightly, the elder was sure to keep a steady hand, not wanting to harm Hiccup further. The spine of the knife-like weapon brushed against his skin and sliced easily through the fabric of his shirt. 

Unfortunately, she hadn't made it very far down the shirt when the door burst open. Gothi jumped, startled by the sudden, loud noise. The dagger was shot into the air, ripping through Hiccup's shirt and forming a new cut on his chin. It wasn't big but it did start bleeding. Gothi growled under her breathe in annoyance as she listened to the dagger hit the floor. 

She didn't move and continued to stare at the newly formed gash. The blood trickled down his chin and onto his neck, before disappearing under the 'un-cut' shirt. Frustrated, the healer turned, so that her back was no longer to the door. There, in the doorway, stood Stoick, chief of Berk and Hiccup's father. Rushing forward, Stoick's usually calm facial features were replaced with worried ones. 

"Where is my son?" He demanded, unable to see Hiccup's limp form laying on the wooden furniture. 

From behind him, Gobber and the twins emerged, squeezing into the room after him. With every step the worried chief took, loud banging sounds would fill the room as if he were stomping, when, really, he was just hurrying towards Gothi. Relief filled Astrid upon realizing it was just Stoick. She was glad he had finally made it, and visibly relaxed knowing that there were more people here to help Hiccup. 

"Sorry we took so long. Who knew it would be so hard to find a chief on his own island?" Tuffnut wondered, mainly to himself. 

"Yeah, I mean, we flew over the island like 10 times before we finally found him." Ruffnut added. 

As Stoick approached the annoyed woman, he noticed his son, bruised, swollen and covered in blood. He gasped at how hurt Hiccup was, and his heart broke slightly every time he heard the poor boy grunt or moan in pain. Kneeling down beside the bed, Stoick examined every bruise and every cut, mentally scolding himself for having not been able to protect his only child. 

"How... who did this?" Stoick questioned, each word coated in anger and hatred. "It was the hunters, wasn't it? They did this."

All Astrid could do was nod, unable to find the right words she could use to respond. Snotlout shuffled back a little, hanging his head in shame. His usually confident behaviour vanished, and instead, guilt swam through his veins. 'I'm to blame.' He continued to tell himself. Astrid could see Snotlout from the corner of her eye and she felt... sympathy.

'I can't imagine what it would be like to be in Snotlout's shoes. The only reason Hiccup got hurt was because he was trying to save him. Poor Snotlout.' Astrid knew she would completely blame herself if she were Snotlout, and even now she felt at fault because she wasn't the one who put themselves at risk. 

Gothi's rage left her, and she managed to calm herself upon seeing how upset the chief seemed. Gently, she tapped Stoick on the shoulder, pointing to Hiccup, to everyone in the room, and then the door. The distressed father immediately understood what the elder wanted, and slowly stood back up, taking his eyes off of Hiccup. 

"I'm afraid you all need to go. There isn't much room in here and Gothi needs to work." 

The riders reluctantly nodded and started to head for the door. Only Astrid and Snotlout stayed behind, along with Gobber, Stoick, and Toothless. Gothi eyed the Nightfury, wondering whether or not it would be wise to let him stay. While some had already left, there was still a rather large amount of people still inside, and that could cause infection or affect her work. 

"Astrid, you should probably go too." Stoick told the female warrior. 

"But I want to stay and help!" She protested, determination glowing in her eyes. 

"I know, but only family should stay behind. As soon as Hiccup's been cleaned and thoroughly washed, you can come back in. I promise." The chief insisted, speaking kindly, showing to Astrid that he fully respected and understood her point of view. 

Knowing there was no point in arguing, Astrid returned the dagger Gothi had given her to the table, walking slowly out of the room and glancing back several times before closing the door. Then there was Toothless. He would be no help in the washing or anything really, yet Hiccup would want him around. But he wasn't exactly a small dragon. He took up quite a bit of space and was guaranteed to get in their way eventually. 

Stoick pointed to a corner on the far side of the room. There was barely any furniture or anything there, so there would be enough space for the dragon to lay down and watch without blocking the way to any important equipment. It was the best place for Toothless to wait if he wanted to remain inside the hut during the entire operation and cleaning. The Nightfury obeyed and made his way to the desired location. 

Once there, he lay down, keeping his head up so that he could still see what was happening. The father, the blacksmith, the cousin and the healer began undressing the boy and preparing the bath. At last, Hiccup was getting the medical treatment he so desperately needed.

                                             ~◇~

Astrid paced around the patio, thoughts of Hiccup racing through her mind. Stormfly snarled, worried for her rider. She could sense her stress and wanted to help Astrid, but didn't know how. Then there was Hookfang and Skullcrusher, who sat rather uncomfortably on the floor, eyeing the door and awaiting their riders' return. The twins along with Fishlegs had left a while back with their dragons, having gone home to see their families and enjoy a meal with their loved ones. 

Fishlegs had even been kind enough to alert Astrid's parents of her return to Berk, explaining to them where she was and why she couldn't come home yet. Astrid was really grateful for that, and had thanked him at least twice already. She may be a warrior, but she wasn't heartless, and during stressful times, any help given was really appreciated. 

It had been at least half an hour since she was asked to leave the building, and her patience was wearing thin. She wanted to just barge in and demand permission to assist, but something was keeping her back. Stoick had promised to let her in as soon as they were done, and Stoick never broke a promise, at least not purposely or willingly. He was a trustworthy man and she just needed to wait a little longer. 

Finally, just as the wait was becoming unbearable, Gobber opened the door, smiling at Astrid. He welcomed her inside and she could hardly stop herself from jumping in joy at the thought that she was going to make herself useful. Help save a person's life, and not just anyone's life, Hiccup's life. The teenager hurried into the room, leaving Gobber to shut the door after her. 

The first thing she noticed was the rather large, circular tub which sat a few meters away from the bed. It seemed to be made with wood and a slight bit of metal to keep it together. It was only big enough for one grown man to sit in, although she doubted anyone would want to go into it now. Water filled the tub to the brim, with a few soap suds floating around. Water, though, is usually transparent, while this one was red, similar to the colour of blood. 

Shuddering slightly upon realising that must have been where they cleaned Hiccup, Astrid walked towards the wooden bed. On top lay a boy, his messy, brown hair now dry. His skin was clean, clearly displaying every scar, bruise or cut, and boy were there a lot of them. The usually bright, and inventive boy was unconscious, eyes still shut tightly, but not as tightly as before. 

There was hardly anything covering Hiccup's unnaturally pale body, besides a pair of scarlet undies covering his privates. He lay straight on his back, arms completely parallel each other. Hiccup didn't look like himself, but he did look much better than he had an hour ago. 

Snotlout, Stoick and Gobber were all a little wet, which was no surprise considering they had just washed a human with their bare hands. Then there was Toothless, who was absolutely excited to see her back inside. He had this goofy smile plastered on his face, that cute toothless one which was the inspiration for his name. The Nightfury's tail was pointed up to the ceiling, while the rest of him lay on the ground. 

"Alright. First up is to close and bandage open cuts in order to avoid infection. Some seem to require stitching, so we're going to need to hold him down." Gobber read the healer's scribbles easily, stuttering slightly as he said 'hold him down'. 

The maiden nodded in response, afraid that if she spoke she'd start either crying or shouting 'un-lady-like' protests. 'I'm supposed to hold my boyfriend down to a bed as he screams in pain?' Astrid thought, her heart already aching. Hesitantly, Astrid went to one end of the bed, taking her position behind his head. Gobber went to the side to hold his arm down (arm because the right one was still broken) and Stoick went to the bottom to keep his legs in place.

Snotlout was the only one not having to hold Hiccup down, besides Gothi and Toothless of course. He was going to be the healer's assistant, handing her the required equipment and carrying rags and things for her when she couldn't. Gothi had already prepared everything she would need, and so, it began.

First were the bigger cuts, the ones that needed stitching. That was when the screaming and kicking started. The attempted punches and the more rapid breathing. Astrid held onto his head, making sure he didn't hit it on the wooden back of the bed, or snap his neck. Judging by how fast he was moving and how difficult it was to keep him semi-still, breaking his neck because of his own rapid movements was a possibility.

It was heartbreaking to witness. Every scream. Every shout. He started off by yelling for his dad, and crying 'no'. As soon as he first started shrieking, Toothless had been by his side. Crooning over and over in attempt to calm the boy. He even rested his head on his arm and licked between his fingers a couple times. 

"I'm here son. I'm here. Calm down. Please. It's alright. You're safe." Stoick had repeated those words over and over yet Hiccup just kept kicking. 

Even Astrid tried to reassure the boy of his dad's presence. "He's here, Hiccup. Stoick's right here. Please, stop." She begged him to end the screaming. She begged him to stop the hitting, but nothing she said affected him. 

A few minutes passed and the stitching was complete. There had been around 20 stitches sewed into his skin all over his body. 4 of which were on his head. Astrid relaxed when Gothi stopped. 'It's over.' She stupidly told herself. 'It's done.' Hiccup stopped yelling, he stopped trying to escape their hold. Yet his breathing was still ragged and fast. Tears stained his colourless cheeks and his whole body was covered in sweat. 

Everyone, except for Gothi, was completely pale, Stoick and Gobber having already cried and Astrid close to it. And although it was absolute torture having to watch and listen as Hiccup screamed for help, there was nothing they could do. He needed to be fixed. He needed to be healed. 

He needed treatment.

But now there was the task of twisting Hiccup's broken arm back into place so that it could be bandaged. Not to mention the scratches and cuts needed to be covered too, and protected from germs and bacteria. Knowing that the group was already mentally exhausted from what they had just done, Gothi chose to bandage the cuts first. 

There was little yelling, little movement from Hiccup. Just some groans and flinches. It was nice to be able to take a bit of a break, but everyone still remained near Hiccup, Astrid not letting go of his left hand. Time flew past and soon, it was time for the arm to be fixed, as well as the various other broken bones.

Gothi had managed the broken ribs while she handled the gashes, so that was one less broken thing to worry about. But the healer had drawn out in the sand all of the broken bones the boy had. A collarbone having been snapped in two, another shoulder dislocated, broken leg and sprained wrists. As well as 7 broken fingers and minor back injury.

Hiccup was lucky he would ever walk again, as there was a large chance that the boulder could have caused a lot more spinal injury. 

Eventually, the time came. Everyone took their positions, holding down the same limbs as before. Snotlout was to assist Gothi in returning the arm to its proper shape, and then bandage it up in some special fabric so that it would stay in place. Needless to say, Snotlout was nervous, some might even say terrified. As soon as Snotlout's hand made contact with Hiccup's arm, Hiccup yelled.

He screamed out one word; "Astrid!" 

Her heart shattered. Holding onto his head she tried so hard not to cry as he continued to yell for her, as he continued to try and fight his way out. And above all of his screams, she could still hear his bones crack back into shape. She shut her eyes tight, trying to block out all sounds besides his voice. His scared, trembling voice. 

Tears rolled down her face. She tried to speak to him. Make him aware of her presence. But no matter how hard she tried, no sound would escape her mouth. It's like his voice took away hers. As he shouted and shouted in agony, Astrid found herself remaining silent besides a few sobs now and again.

Then came relocating his shoulder. Pushing it back into place. Astrid had dislocated her shoulders several times during her life, and nothing could prepare anyone for that agonising feeling which came with putting it back into place.

"STOP! No! Astrid! Dad! Stop! Anyone!?" He sounded so desperate. 

He sounded so sad. So hurt and so alone. He pulled at her heartstrings and Astrid felt close to fainting. Toothless was there. Trying so hard to reassure his rider that it would all be over soon. That he would get better. 

The shoulder was back into place, and Hiccup calmed down, a little. Another word. He said another word as the Nightfury nuzzled Hiccup's arm. What did he say?

"Toothless?" 

This time, he didn't shout. He didn't sound so sad and so alone. He sounded hopeful, almost happy. Astrid smiled slightly, glad that he no longer sounded so empty and in pain. The other, minor injuries were quickly dealt with, and everything seemed to be over. It all seemed to be ok now. But it wasn't. And it seemed like it never would be. 

"NO! STOP! TOOTHLESS! TOOTHLESS!" His scared voice filled the house, leaking through the walls and terrifying the dragons outside.

Everyone jumped to their feet, crowding around the boy in order to figure out what was wrong. There didn't seem to be anything else wrong. No more strangely twisted limbs or needles poking into flesh. It was just a bandaged boy laying on a wooden bed. The group turned to Gothi, their worried expressions giving her all the information she needed to know their questioned. 

Her stick quickly moved through the sand, creating words and pictures. Gobber scanned it several times, reading it to himself so that he were sure to get it right. 

"Migraines." He read. " Very bad, very painful migraines."

Because you see, dear reader, Hiccup was in something called a dream state. It caused whoever was experiencing it to dream of the things they loved the most, and, depending on how much pain they were feeling at the time, the more the dream would become a nightmare. A lot of pain = a very bad dream. 

And, when the dream becomes so terrible and so painful, migraines will occur. Very painful ones. They will also affect the dream and, eventually, when the migraine passes, it will only be a matter of hours or days before the dreamer awakes. 

So when Hiccup was shouting 'hello?' into the darkness, he was actually shouting in pain as the riders took him to Berk. They arrive to Berk and Hiccup receives a bath. That's around when he first saw the burning Berk in his dream. The stitching - his dad died. The arm - Astrid died. Relocating his shoulder - Hiccup awoke after fainting to find everyone he loved and Berk burnt to ashes in his dream. That hopeful 'Toothless?' after the pain in his shoulder left was when he first heard Toothless roar in his dream. 

Then, when the migraine arrived, he watched Toothless burn then be shot by a spear. I'm pretty sure you know the rest. And it wasn't until almost a week later that Hiccup awoke - still alive.


	6. It's Better To Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ka relives past memories after reuniting with her dragon through the form of nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so this is just some back story on my OC, Ka. Hope you like and sorry it took so long to update. I swore to myself I would finish this almost a week ago, maximum, but oh well. It's done now so enjoy and comment any thoughts you have on it or constructive criticism. Would love to hear what you have to say and I will reply to comments whenever possible.

This cave was one of natural beauty. 

It sat inside a mountain, allowing the interior to grow wide enough for even a Nightfury to fly inside, despite the dragon's famously long wings. Not to mention how long it was, and how many parts there were to it. It reminded Ka of a maze, with so many tunnels, entrances and exits. One tunnel led to a room filled with hot springs and freshwater. There were even waterfalls pouring litres of heated water down at a time.

Another tunnel leads to a small, pond-like body of water filled with fish. That was Night's favourite room. It seemed like their supply of fish was never-ending, as that pond had provided their meals for a month straight, yet there were still so many fish in it today. That particular room was the smallest, but Ka couldn't prove that for sure as there were still several tunnels remaining unexplored. 

Then there was this room, with jagged rocks sticking out of one wall, making it great for climbing. The ceiling was almost as tall there as it was in the main part of the cave (the part where even a Nightfury could fly in) yet in width, it was much smaller. In a separate wall was a rectangular hole, fairly deep and fairly high at about Ka's height off the ground. It was her usual sleeping spot, as the ground was flatter there and cleaner than anywhere else. It was even big enough for her dragon to squeeze in with her, resulting in comfortable and peaceful sleep. 

Those were the rooms they usually spent their time in, this cave acting as more luxurious than most Viking huts. 

Ka was now relaxing in the hot springs, finally washing out her wounds and rinsing the sand from her long, brown hair. It reached down to the back of her knees when not tied, but thanks to how thin it was, her hair was never too hard to maintain. It did still require a lot of attention though, which is something it's been lacking for a while, with all this running from hunters. 

It felt great to finally release her hair from the tight braids which were commonly knotted into an even tighter bun. The feeling of sand washing out of her hair was so satisfying Ka could hardly focus on anything else. A clean change of clothes rested a few metres away, as well as a thin blanket which could easily be used as a towel.

She slowly slid her head deeper into the water, until her nose was only barely above the spring. This body of water wasn't very deep, but Ka was still just unable to touch the bottom and reach her head high enough to breathe at the same time. This left her legs either kicking wildly to keep afloat or resting on a stone somewhere roughly halfway towards the deepest it could go. There were few things that made her feel as relaxed as she was right now.

                                    ~◇~

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

_It was like a drum pounding loudly in my ears, each beat quickly following the previous at a volume so deafening it drowned out all other noise. My own desperate screams felt so distant I almost doubted their existence overall. The only thing which made me certain I wasn't imagining them was the fact that my mouth was opening and closing, forming letters and sounds silent to me alone._

_I didn't know what I was yelling, and I didn't care. I didn't care that my constant shouting scratched at my throat, leaving it dry and me almost breathless. I didn't care that my vision was blurred due to the tears infinitely pouring out of my eyes. I didn't care that I was exhausted, dirty and weak from sleepless nights and lack of rest._

_All I did care about, was him._

_My father, the chief, who had refused to go to war against these murderous flying reptiles. Instead, he left food in the forest; barrels full of fish and several yak and sheep. This, obviously, left the village low on supplies, but lowered property damage by a dramatic amount. Threats from the villagers were common, as they became frustrated by the limited food._

_Unfortunately, when the Vikings living under his rule began to starve, and he continued to refuse to change his ways, they became desperate. Together, the people lured my father into town, where they surrounded and attacked him in an act of revenge. I happened to be nearby with my mother, an unfortunate turn of events._

_Now, I was trying, with little success, to 'rescue' him. The mob had gathered around my dad, forming a wide circle with my father in the dead centre. One, or sometimes two, men would step into the circle, beating my father senseless, before joining the circle again. They formed something similar to a wall, their tall and muscular builds hiding my father completely from view._

_I kept trying to break their defences, but being a scrawny, 6-year-old girl, all I ended up doing was hurting myself. My arms were scratched from tearing at their tough, metal armour, my skin now raw and bleeding. I didn't dare quit though, knowing that the blood all over the ground wasn't anyone's but his. Every inhale came alongside this metallic taste now, and it made my nose hairs burn._

_Both disgusted and terrified, I sped up my attacks. The moment I thought I was making progress, a large, rough arm shoved me backwards. I tripped, feeling everything slow as I fell through the air. My back collided painfully with the pavement, my vision darkening. That had been the most pain I had ever felt at once, and I voiced my distress instinctively._

_My cry was unheard and ignored, making my heart twist as this lonely, abandoned feeling spread. I lay there, my limbs sprawled out around me and small pebbles digging into my skin. I wanted to get up, but I found my energy to be gone, my body too weak from over-usage. Somewhere, amongst the beating of my heart in my ears, I heard my mum's pained yelp as she caught sight of me. We had been separated earlier on, me being far too engrossed in my own activity to take notice of her absence._

_I could faintly see her outline, and what I believed to be a worried expression on her face as she took in the state I was in. I'm not proud of what I did, more like ashamed for failing. Black swam around the corners of my eyes, and soon I was out. Bruised, bloody and dirty, on the ground, unconscious. I remember feeling so distraught. So useless. So pathetic._

_~◇~_

_I awakened, my head pounding with an unbearable headache while my stomach churned brutally, forcing bile up my throat. Before I could spew it out, though, I swallowed it, grimacing as the file liquid stung my already scratched throat. I tried to speak but found my voice to be weak from my previous screaming, any sound that came out being quiet and rough. Unsurprised by this discovery, I directed my attention to my surroundings._

_I stared in disbelief at the wooden walls, each of the four seeming old. There were several large gaps between every plank, allowing the outside weather to easily sneak into the interior of the building. Luckily, it was currently summer, and little to no rain ever accompanied this season._

_This building, though, resembled a barn so perfectly it scared me. There was hay scattered across the floor messily, some on large, hill-like structures and others just thinly coating the wooden floor. A few barrels were located in a far corner, most probably filled with fish, water, wine or remains of dead and 'deconstructed' animals. Two, large, double doors acted as the only entrance or exit, and, from where I was positioned, they were right in front of me._

_I was currently seated on crates, empty and having been brought together in a rush. They roughly created a flat surface to act as a bed for me. Atop the worn-out crates was a sheet of hay, used to make a mattress for extra comfort, with a thin, ripped blanket to separate me from the dried grass._

_I was unfamiliar with this place, as I had never come in contact with it before. It definitely wasn't my house, as that was a well-constructed, two-storey building resting nearby the edge of the forest. This place was antique, and lacking maintenance, without any windows or proper furniture._

_"What are we supposed to do, John? Everyone in town hates us!"_

_"I know, Michelle. But, for now, I can take a job as a fisherman or something until we can afford a new house. Once we're out of this barn, we can worry about our reputation."_

_"We can't survive like this for long and you know it! Think about Ka, our daughter! We can barely afford to feed ourselves, how are we meant to raise her!"_

_"We'll just have to try and see how things go. There's nothing much we can do to change our circumstances, M!"_

_I knew those voices anywhere. In this single-roomed barn, the walls were no thicker than paper, leaving me with no trouble in hearing their argument. It was clear what their discussion concerned, and the thought alone made me sad. It wasn't difficult for even my young, 6-year-old, mind to realise we'd been kicked out of our house, as it was reserved for the chief and his family alone._

_And that could only mean, my father was no longer chief. Unknown to me, I had begun to shake, tears streaming down my face. Not only were we without a home, but the only family member earning any sort of living had lost his source of income as well, which also left us as the most despised people on the island._

_I forced myself to relax. Stressing out about our current situation wasn't going to help any. Slowly, I bent my legs over the edge of the crates, allowing my bare toes to graze the ground. I didn't know when my shoes were removed, or when I was even moved here, but there was no time to worry about that._

_I located my footwear in an empty corner near the doors, placed neatly side-by-side. I slid off the 'bed', wincing as my tired bones ached in response. I walked silently towards my shoes, careful not to make much noise as to not alert the arguing adults outside that I had awoken._

_I slipped them on, a few cuts the hay had left on my feet stinging in an annoying manner. Luckily, it didn't hurt, and walking was no harder than it had been beforehand. I took a few practice steps in the corner before tip-toeing to the doors._

_They were slightly ajar, giving me the ability to see directly outside of them to where my parents' stood. I held done a gasp upon viewing my father's appearance. He stood facing my mother in a way that gave me a painfully clear look of how beaten up he was._

_Dark, blue and purple bruises dotted his skin, an unnaturally black one around his left eye. His bottom lip was split, and still bleeding slightly. Whenever he spoke I received a lengthy glimpse of his missing teeth and the bloody interior of his mouth. The sight alone made my stomach churn violently, and the filthy taste of spew returned to my throat._

_He held one arm close to his chest, cringing every time he accidentally moved it from its position. My dad also seemed to be preferring his right leg and was attempting to put as little weight on the other as possible. And I haven't even mentioned all the cuts and scratches he wore on every visible piece of skin._

_I might have been young, but that didn't mean that I wasn't angry. Angry at the dragons for ruining my life. Angry at the town folk for being so unreasonable. Angry at the world for being so unfair. And angry at myself for not being able to do anything about it._

_I snuck away from the door to the closest, bare wall. I leaned my back against it and slowly slid to the floor, bringing my knees up to my chest and hugging them close. I pressed my face down, digging my closed eyes into my legs as I wept, grieving everything I lost._

_What was even worse was that one thought floating over me like a dark, rain cloud. This was only the beginning, and things would only get worse from here on out. Some people would have considered this dramatic, but I couldn't have been more right._

_~◇~_

_Everything was so much easier when I was 5._

_Sometimes I wish time would reverse and take me back to when I didn't regret my very existence. Back when I had a home. When I wasn't despised by every breathing, living being on this darn island. The first few years after the... incident, life had only become more difficult._

_My dad would go on lengthy fishing trips for sometimes days on end, only to return with little to no fish. And then, when he finally had enough fish to begin selling them, almost no one would buy from him just because of his identity. This left us in a tight spot, and we depended solely on whatever dad caught that day for our meals._

_Michelle, my mother, would go from house to house offering to clean for cheap pay. Since many Vikings would find their houses destroyed after a dragon raid, almost everyone agreed to let her assist, but only under their watchful gaze. This would leave us with enough money to purchase freshwater, since the current well had been covered in rubble during a previous fight against the flying lizards, and free water wouldn't be accessible until a new well was dug. This issue had remained from almost a year ago, as above rebuilding and raids, no one with the ability to make this new well ever had the chance._

_By now, I was 8 and was already hating this village with every bit of my existence. We were yet to leave this run-down barn, as the cost for a new house was far too high for us to afford. Therefore winters would be spent huddling around a small fire pit my dad made in the interior of our 'home'. Sadly, when it was time to sleep, we had to blow out the fire in fear of it burning down the barn unless someone offered to stay up all night and tame the flames._

_Currently, I couldn't even take a single step outside without being harassed or teased in some way. Whether it is cruel insults, or punches and kicks until I bleed. More often than not, I would return 'home' from an outing covered in bruises and bleeding heavily. My mum and dad didn't have it much better, and since money was so tight, we couldn't afford medical care. Wounds would usually get infected, and disease spread easily throughout our small family._

_We avoided leaving the barn and socialising as much as we could._

_~◇~_

_"What's wrong, Unika? Scared of a little beating?"_

_I hated it when the called me Unika. Unikalny or Ka I was fine with, but not Unika. They always heightened their pitch when they uttered that one word in order to say it in as much a mocking manner as possible. I've been called many things throughout the past years, but Unika was definitely my least favourite for personal reasons._

_I tried to ignore their taunts as I raced through the forest, dodging bushes and trees every few seconds in an attempt to lose them. We were now quite far from the village; so far I couldn't see the houses or hear the villagers. I hurried across the rough terrain, the loud footsteps close behind me encouraging me to increase my speed._

_I struggled to sprint over exposed roots and jagged stones, as the ground was forever rough and difficult to travel across. They chased me for what felt like hours, branches scratching at my face and dead leaves grabbing at my ankles. Eventually, they lost me in the greenery, my tan clothing helping me blend into the environment._

_Hidden, I listened silently as they hurried past, cringing at the shameful words they shouted in the direction they assumed I had hurried off into. Relief crushed me like a boulder as I allowed my tense body to relax. I leaned against the tree's thick trunk, listening to the blissful sounds the forest supplied._

_A rustle in the bushes startled me out of my tranquillity, my head hitting the back of the tree painfully as I jumped up. I was now back on high alert, my eyes wide open and feet in a position that would allow me to make a quick get-away if the need ever came. I stared at the shrub, expecting one of my many bullies to jump out at me._

_The plant shook again, this time more violently. A small and darkly coloured animal hopped out, stumbling over its small feet and falling face-first into the dirt. It let out a pained 'meow' sound as it skidded forward several centimetres. Once it came to a stop, the winged creature didn't attempt to stand, remaining instead on its belly and snorting._

_Suprised largely by the dragon's unexpected appearance, I tripped backwards as my feet twisted around each other when I had attempted to run. Now I sat in the dirt, my back against the tree and the baby lizard centimetres away from my out-spread legs. Upon realising how close we were, I tucked in my limbs, knees bent tightly into my chest._

_I was certain this creature was a dragon, but I wasn't sure which one. Its black scales were some I had never seen during dragon raids before, and although it was quite small, it had wings longer than it was tall when it stood on its hind legs. Its long tail ended in a dark fin, obviously there to make maneuvering while flying a much simpler task. It was no larger than my torso in both size and height and seemed too young to know how to fly. Currently, this creature was no threat, but, despite that, I was filled with irrational fear._

_I was paralyzed. I stared into its brown irises, my hazel eyes fixated on the different shades and dedicated to memorising them. To my horror, the dragon stared back. It didn't blink or anything of the sort. As it stood back up on its four, wobbly legs, nothing in the world seemed more interesting to it, than me. Unsteadily, it took a step forward._

_My breath hitched and my tense muscles grew even stiffer. Its head was outstretched and reaching forward as if it were trying to inhale my scent. Somehow, my foolish, young mind decided that this monster was going to, in some way, kill me. My life was no picnic, but dragons had taken enough out of it already._

_They ruined my family's reputation, leaving us broke and practically homeless. No one could sustain a job and we were constantly shunned. And. It. Was. Their. Fault. My dad tried to keep the peace, but these devils were greedy and continuously took and took until we were left with nothing._

_My blood bubbled with the building up rage, and I twitched unnervingly with every movement the lizard made. Wide eyes looked back at me, curiosity dancing within the brown colours. There was innocence hidden beneath the intrigue as if this animal had never done a wrong and would never even dare to consider it. I tried to be angry at it. I tried to be mad. I wanted to be furious. But I wasn't._

_The softest 'meow' sounding noise bounced out of its slightly opened mouth, something similar to a smile tugging at its lips. My heart melted. This dragon was unlike those that burned down houses and stole food. I could tell. My body loosened and, the longer I examined its adorable, big eyes, the more I relaxed. Soon, it was so close I could touch it._

_If the dragon were to move even half a millimetre closer, its scaly face would be pressing against my dirty, ripped trousers. But the weirdest thing was, I wanted it to. I reached a trembling hand forward, greasy fingers searching for the warm exoskeleton of the animal in front of me. Although fear wasn't what caused my body to shake, it was the cold, autumn breeze that swirled around me as though it were alive._

_"Hey! I see her!"_

_The dragon jumped back, startled by the sudden shout before I could even make contact. It spun around at a lightning-fast speed and dashed into the bushes, its black scales vanishing in the green vegetation. My outstretched hand was frozen in place, longing to touch the dragon that had now vanished._

_Leaves crunched loudly somewhere to my left, footsteps rushing towards me. I realised too late what was causing the sounds, and soon, I was surrounded by those I had originally been trying to escape. Wicked grins were painted on their faces, a mischevious glint in their eyes. I stared up at them, more scared than that dragon could have ever caused me to be._

_"There you are, Unika. Ready to have some fun?"_

_~◇~_

_Years passed, at much too slow a pace for my preference. Nothing improved, in fact, everything became worse._

_The barn burned down several times, the reconstruction taking much too long. Citizens would usually bunk with other relatives or friends in their homes until the houses of their owning were returned to the original states, but, since my family were despised by every living being on the island, we were forced to fend for ourselves. In the winters we froze out in the cold while my father struggled to mend the walls on his own, the harsh weather and the lack of assistance causing the building process to take much longer than it normally would._

_My mother had no choice but to replace my father in the fishing business during that period, as she was of little use in the heavy lifting that was required for building. Life at sea, though, suited her no better than a life of construction. The slow, rocking of the wooden raft on the low waves made her extremely nauseous. That nausea quickly became a sickness, and without the money or the possibility to afford any sort of medicine, my mother slowly started to die._

_I voluntarily tended to her needs, while working for food at the same time. I would wake before sunrise and race to the sea, only returning with enough food for maybe a mouth or two. We were starving. I worked hard, really, really hard, yet it never seemed like my efforts were enough. I watched as Michelle slowly deteriorated, her life floating away little by little with every passing day._

_And the village was happy about it. That made my blood boil and face to turn red. Those people were monsters, that shouldn't have everything they do. They didn't deserve homes, family, food in their bellies or the money they were gifted with for the little work they completed._

_Those in the village referred to us as worthless, useless people that cursed this land with bad fortune. That we were to blame for the devils in the sky and the constant destruction those lizards cause. I hated them with every part of me for calling the dragons monsters, while they ruined lives._

_They were the monsters, and I couldn't wait for them to receive the painful demise they surely deserved._

_Mum must have noticed my distress one day because she called me over from where she lay on the hay mattress I had made for her. I rushed to her side, fearing that her last breathes were leaving her. With as much speed as I could muster considering my sore limbs from the day's chores, I sprinted towards her, quickly kneeling so that I was as tall as the home-made bed was._

_Michelle smiled warmly when she saw my concern, glad to see my worry and love for her had yet to falter. She reached out a wrinkled, cold hand and I put my own in hers without a moment's hesitation. Her skin was dirty and had long lost its soft texture, yet it gifted me comfort to hold it so close._

_"Ka, my sweet." Her voice was hoarse due to her dry throat and clogged nose. "I love you so much, and it pains me to see you so angry. I know you smile for me, but I wish you to smile for more than just your mother. I wish you to smile, for you."_

_"But how can I? The entire island treats us like garbage. You're sick and they celebrate your pain. We are living with monsters!" I replied, spitting out the words as if they were acid that burned my tongue._

_Mum looked at me, pure adoration evident in her eyes. Yet I saw sadness beneath that affection. "Ka, please, calm down. I know these people are mean to us, but hating them won't do us any good. Listen to me Ka, don't let their actions, their rude words or horrible behaviour towards us ruin you. By letting them impact you so negatively, it only lets them win."_

_"But how can I not? There's only one of me, and so many of them." My anger melted into desperation, a transition my mother did not fail to notice._

_"I never said it was going to be easy. But, remember this; no matter what happens, never give up. You are special, Ka, my sweet. Unique. You can do extraordinary things as long as you never give up on yourself. Keep going, Ka, keep going. Never stop fighting, even when all seems lost.'' She paused and leaned forward, her frail body unsteady where it was balanced on her bent elbows. "Do it for me."_

_~◇~_

_It was a normal Sunday morning. Well, as normal as it got for the family that was hated by everyone. I was tending to my sick mother in the barn, my father in the village where he was trying hard to sell the few fish he had caught. I'm sure he wasn't very successful, as usual, but miracles can happen._

_It started with a distant roar._

_The sound immediately grabbed my attention. My head snapped up to look out of the open barn doors. Dragon raids were far from uncommon, but they only ever occurred at night or late afternoon, never mornings. I assumed this was because the reptiles preferred to use the cover of night so that it was harder for the Vikings to counterattack due to the little lighting that time of day provided._

_Right now though, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun shone brighter than it had in months. I stared at the pale blue sky through the open doors, the coloured spots visible although quite far away obviously were the approaching dragons. From what I could tell, they would be here within the hour at the latest. And there were lots of them._

_"Go get your father."_

_Her voice was at hardly a whisper, yet I heard her loud and clear. I turned around and glanced at my deteriorating parent, the smallest smile tugging at her chapped lips. Her eyes were clouded over and her hair was greying, yet the loving glow she seemed to radiate remained. My response was a single nod before I took off running._

_My bare feet made little to no sound on the dirt road that I travelled across. I wasn't certain of my dad's exact whereabouts, so I chose to search the market place first as that was his most likely location. Everyone I hurried past would make a noise of disgust upon sighting me, and some even attempted to trip me or kick at my legs._

_Luckily, after many years of similar treatment, I managed to rather easily dodge them without slowing down. If this were any other day, the villagers would have been more persistent and chase me down in order to give me a good beating, but the nearing herd of dragons were currently of higher priority in their opinion. Actually, squeezing between preparing Vikings was more of a challenge than avoiding their weak attempts at harming me was._

_I soon reached my destination and was beyond relieved to see my father slowly packing up the fish. He was placing the few he had set on a wooden table back into the barrel, not showing any sign of knowing or caring about the famously destructive lizards that were flying towards the village. I'm not sure whether his unnatural calmness during this situation caused me to panic further or relax slightly. Either way, it affected me._

_I skipped over the gravelled ground, the pebbles ripping at the exposed skin on my feet. Soon, I was standing a few centimetres behind his bent form. I wasn't really sure what to do now. Do I wait for him to turn around or try to initiate conversation? Not sure of what else to do, I cleared my throat, loudly._

_John jumped around, almost hitting me as he did. There was clear panic in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings for what possibly could've created that sound. Eventually, he noticed me after not too long._

_"Ka. It's you. You're supposed to me be looking after M. What are you doing here? Is she okay?" I was immediately bombarded with questions. Dad was always one to stress too much over the littlest things._

_"Mun is fine. We saw the dragons on the horizon so mum wanted me to come and get you. She didn't really say exactly why, though..." I trailed off at a lack of a more detailed explanation._

_"Dragons? Surely not at this time of day." He turned slightly for a better view of the horizon._

_I could tell exactly when he spotted them. His confused frown vanished and was rapidly replaced with a disgusted scowl. He stared at the approaching blobs a moment longer before turning back to me, annoyance evident in his tight expression._

_"Pack up the fish, alright? And bring the barrel home. I'll meet you there." He commanded, before turning and walking away._

_I watched as he disappeared into the crowd of people, mesmerised by the simultaneous movement of the Viking's which seemed far too organised to be natural. Sometimes I forget these people are monsters. With a silent sigh, I began completing my given chore, thoroughly disgusted by the fish's slimy exterior and the stinky fumes they emitted. I never did like them before they were cooked._

_While I worked, I found myself victim to a lot of name-calling and teasing, which I skillfully ignored with the much practice majority of my life supplied me with. That doesn't mean that the hateful words I was called didn't hurt me. They hurt. They hurt a lot._

_Here's the thing about barrels filled with fish: they're heavy. Very heavy. And being the measly, 16-year-old girl I was, moving it from one location to another was a difficult task. It took way too long to reach the barn, and, by the time I did, I was sweating buckets._

_"...Monstrous Nightmares...dangerous...leave..."_

_I could hear small snippets of a conversation over my obnoxious panting and the few words I could make out were quite worrying. I slowly made my way towards the doors, and just as I lifted a hand to open them, a deafening chorus of roars echoed from behind me. I jumped, turning around in search of the dragons._

_To my horror, there were what seemed like hundreds of reptiles in the sky, swooping down and crowding the village. Luckily, we were slightly disconnected from the town and the lizards were oblivious to our existence, but that didn't ease my fear at all. The dragons were all of one species, Monstrous Nightmares. Their tough scales were painted in all of the colours of the rainbow, yet the colour I saw the most was orange. The flames covered them like blankets, dancing wildly as they sped across the skies._

_Screams._

_I rough hand grabbed my wrist from behind, pulling me as they started to run. My feet twisted around each other, still partially paralyzed from the shock. I struggled to keep standing, sprinting currently an impossible task. Dad was practically dragging me towards the forest._

_In his other arm, he carried my dying mother, the woman pressed against his chest and balanced on the little support his free limb gave her. She seemed so sad. Like she knew she wasn't going to make it. Her eyes were closed and she was muttering a few words as if praying._

_Eventually, I managed to find my footing and was able to run alongside my parents much easier. We hurried over vegetation and around trees at top speed, neither of us daring to slow down. An orange glow shone from behind us, pained screams quietening down as if there were no more people left to cry out. I told myself that it was only because we were getting further away, but the deafening, inhuman growls from those at fault proved me wrong._

_The fire from the village spread to the forest, swallowing trees and leaving them charred and dead. Never had I seen so many dragons at once, at least of the same species and within our borders. I knew that the stubborn Vikings living here wouldn't dare back down from a fight, but I was also aware they didn't stand a chance in this one._

_The sky was thick with black smoke, hot from the raging fires close behind. My father's iron grip on my frail hand loosened, his movements slowing as the pollution began taking effect. I was short for my age, and since the smoke floated upwards it didn't affect me as much as it seemed to impact my tall parent._

_Before I knew it, he released my hand, pausing as he coughed and choked in an attempt to clear his lungs. My mum was abnormally still in his arms, and my heart skipped a beat upon noticing the absent rise and fall of her chest. She wasn't breathing. And then John was falling to the ground, his wife leaving his arms when they flew up to grasp at his throat and chest._

_"Go!" He screeched, the sound painfully contrasting his usually melodic voice._

_I stared at him, unmoving. I watched as he spluttered and wheezed, his bright eyes greying in a similar way the sky was. My hesitation didn't go unnoticed by the strict man, and he repeated his order._

_"Go, Ka! Run! I'll catch up!"_

_The flames were nearing and his obvious lie did nothing to assure me. By now silent tears were rolling down my cheeks and only one thought remained. He wasn't going to make it, and neither was she. A quiet sob snuck its way out of my throat before I turned and ran._

_I didn't look back because I knew that if I did I would stop running, preferring death with my family rather than survival on a lifeless island. That was the hardest decision of my life, and I regretted it so much more than I ever thought I could._

_~◇~_

_Days passed since then._

_I waited for my father to retrieve me from the lonely cave I hid in, a small puddle inside the cave keeping me hydrated. I held onto that false hope even after the fires died down and the dragons left the island to seek refuge elsewhere. My stomach rumbled, as I had not consumed a meal a while before the attack had taken place and yet I still lacked food._

_Eventually, I dragged myself out of the dark cave, too desperate for contact with other life to remain any longer. I stepped over ash-coated leaves, ducked under collapsed trees and ventured until my limbs ached and my head spun from dehydration. I only stopped when I saw them._

_Their bodies were raw, skin peeled back exposing still bloody muscle and bone. Bugs fed on the meat with no caring for my presence, continuing to crawl over their burnt forms with no respect._

_Fear was not a feeling I was new to. Neither was grief. I had mourned over my lost lifestyle, my lost home. Feared what the villagers would to me if I strayed too close. But somehow, I had never been more scared in my life than I had been at that very moment._

_I choked on overdue sobs, un-shed tears flooding out of my wide eyes. I couldn't breathe. No breath I inhaled was enough and my heart was beating too fast for it to be okay. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. They were dead and I was looking right at their rotting corpses._

_I cried out as if I was in physical pain. My trembling legs couldn't support me anymore and I fell painfully onto my knees, grazing them on the stones and ash entering the exposed cuts. But I didn't care. My parents were dead. Dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead._

_I couldn't breathe. I choked and spluttered like my dad had when he was dying, and my heart twisted even more at the realisation. My body twitched and my lungs screamed for air and it hurt and they were dead and I was looking at them but they were dead, dead, dead, dead -_

                                    ~◇~

Ka gasped. Her body rose from beneath the hot water of the springs where she had fallen soon after falling asleep. She swallowed the air in greedily, her whole form shaking while she sobbed. Sleeping was always a mistake if Night wasn't there by her side. This always happened otherwise. 

After a few minutes, she relaxed, still somewhat tense from the far too real nightmare that too well resembled what she would have rather forgotten.  She sat there for a moment longer, trying and failing to calm herself. After a while she decided that she might as well leave, seeing that there was no reason to stay now that she was clean. Slowly, Ka climbed out and walked towards her clothes. 

The teenager wrapped the blanket around her bare skin, the pain her wounds usually caused her having been washed away in the freshwater. Ka tied the blanket above her chest, making sure it wouldn't fall off. Then, she reached behind her head, sliding her arms under her wet hair and lifting it over the blanket.

She breathed in the warm air, every part of her body loosening as the calm atmosphere caused her attentive behaviour to vanish. She looked down at the clothes, wondering whether or not to put them on. Picking them up anyway, Ka began to head for the exit. Stopping to take one final look at the hot springs, Ka left. 

As soon as she stepped out, a dark dragon tackled her to the ground. The clothes were thrown into the air, some hitting the walls and others landing on top of Ka and her attacker. It began to lick her ferociously, starting off with her face before moving down to her arms. The teenage girl laughed as the wet tongue tickled her clean form, coating her in a thick layer of saliva. 

"Night! I just cleaned up!" Ka giggled, trying in vain to push the Nightfury off, her earlier scare forgotten. "I just cleaned!"

The dragon ignored her protests, yet somehow took them as acts of encouragement and quickened its speed. Ka jokingly hit the dragon, although it caused no damage, they did help Night eventually understand what Ka wanted. The Nightfury slowly climbed off the teen, never taking its eyes off of her. Ka sat up, looking at Night's eager expression. Its tail even wagged from side to side across the stone floor, and its eyes were so wide Ka thought the Nightfury's eyeballs would fall out. 

"Ok. Thank you. Now, just let me put these on and then we'll go flying, alright?" Ka continued, gesturing to the clothes now scattered around the room.


End file.
